I’ll cut to the chase on this one: it’s the best giveaway we’ve ever done! We’re including all nine of the releases in Lark’s incredible, glowingly reviewed 500 Jewelry series … plus Brilliance: Masterpieces from the American Jewelry Design Council. All of these books were edited by the Divine Miss M (Marthe, that is, Le Van). It’s a jaw-dropping, gorgeous, brilliant collection, sure to be the centerpiece of any personal library.

How to enter to win the bundle? Leave a comment on this post. As always, any post will do, but I’d love it if you’d write about your favorite piece of jewelry and what it means to you. By the way, I so appreciate the fine quality of commenting and conversation you all are contributing to the Lark Jewelry & Beading blog feed: thank you.

To be entered for a chance to win these 10 great books, leave a comment on this post by 9 p.m EST on Monday, August 30. The 30th happens to be my birthday, so it will be a special pleasure to conclude our giveaway on that day! One winner will be selected at random and announced on Thursday, September 2. Click here for the official rules. Good luck and here’s a bit of good news, another present for us all: more books in this beautiful series are on their way from the Divine Miss M.

And my apologies to all graphic designers and readers out there: I have been unable to fix the ridiculous layout of this post!

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457 Responses

My most valuable piece of jewelry is just a simple 14k plated, copper Mitzpah charm half. My father was killed when I was very young. He was buried with one half and I have the other. It's beaten and worn from some many years of wear, so I don't take it out all that often these days, but I treasure it nonetheless.

what a wonderful giveaway – Lark is the best!!!! And Lucky person who gets this – hope its me!!!!!The piece of jewelry that I have that means a lot to me is – well I have 2 that I am very attached to – My great grandmothers wedding ring – and my late father's watch! He wore it everyday for 65 years and its still going!!!!thanks in anticipation!!!!

the book on rings was really useful when I took a jewelry and metals class. I think the most meaningful peice of jewelry is one I don't own yet. its a locket with a tiny rosary inside. I was told it was brought to america by my greatgrandmother.

the book on rings was really useful when I took a jewelry and metals class. I think the most meaningful peice of jewelry is one I don't own yet. its a locket with a tiny rosary inside. I was told it was brought to america by my greatgrandmother.

I love the 500 Lark series books, I'm a jeweler and I find them so inspiring and beautiful to look at, tough I just have the 1000 rings book I've seen almost all of them and I would love to have them all to look at every day. I love Anika Smulovitz' rings, they are so unique and they totally capture natures' essence with her herbarium specimen rings.Thanks for the opportunity to win this amazing prize!

I love the 500 Lark series books, I'm a jeweler and I find them so inspiring and beautiful to look at, tough I just have the 1000 rings book I've seen almost all of them and I would love to have them all to look at every day. I love Anika Smulovitz' rings, they are so unique and they totally capture natures' essence with her herbarium specimen rings.Thanks for the opportunity to win this amazing prize!

What a great give away!A really important piece of jewelry that I own is a pair of ruby and rose gold earrings from my grandmother. They are in the shape of a cock-eyed bow with the rubies all long the ribbon center. I took them to the antiques road show once to get an appraisal. It seems they are a Cartier design and while they gave me an appraisal of their market value – they are priceless to me.

My most treasured piece of jewelry is a simple thin cuff type sterling bracelet from Williamsburg. I believe it is made from half-round wire and they used to demonstrate making it in one of the shops there. My Mother brought it to me over 40 years ago as a gift. I have worn it since and feel naked without it. When I look at it I remember the pleasure of receiving my first piece of “nice” jewelry.

Regarding the “ridiculous layout” – hahaha – been there! Regarding the giveaway – OMG, what a gorgeous collection of books! Dear Random Number Generator, please pick me! My favorite piece of jewelry? Hmmm ….. that's a tough one. When I think about my favorite jewelry, I immediately think about how a whole lot of jewelry – antique jewelry, handed down – was stolen from my home about 20 years ago. It still kills me to think about it. So, pretty much everything that was left is pretty special. And, I believe that I've started making jewelry as some sort of karma-redemption. For so long I blamed myself for allowing that jewelry to be stolen, that I decided I didn't deserve to buy more. But I totally do deserve to make more – and it is a wonderful gift because I am enjoying it so much.

I'm totally hooked on the rubber o-rings for chain maille. The Link It book is wonderful! Finding the O rings is difficult though but I am enjoying learning the techniques. I'd love to win the books too.

when my grandparents first were married, my grandfather couldn't afford to buy my grandmother a wedding ring. many many years ago he took the fancy paper band from his cigar and placed it on my gramma's finger. she kept that band for years and then back in the 70's when she came to visit us while we were living in laos, she brought that old battered cigar band with her and was able to find a local jeweler who copied its intricate design into a golden ring. it is the most beautiful ring.

I can't possibly pick just one, but it's definitely tied between the rings my grandmother gave me (actually to use the metal from- they were her and my grandfathers wedding rings, and also their class rings, and I know I have to make something really special from them) and a beautiful necklace made by Margaux Lange that my boyfriend gave me for our anniversary.

Oh wow, I only have 3 books from this series, and not my favorite one which is 1000 Rings… I'd love the own the whole set! As a jeweler, it's hard to pick a favorite piece of jewelry. I wear so much of my own work and always enjoy wearing it as well as selling it for other people to enjoy. My favorite pieces, which are my own, are a series of large pod and anemone rings that are more sculptural than wearable… jewelry that pushes the boundaries is really fun and inspiring to me. My entire collection of art jewelry from fellow artists is way more important to me than even the pieces I've inherited from my grandmother and mother because I know the intimate stories and can see the handwork and unusual use of materials.

Thanks for thinking I'm divine Ray! It's my duty as a proud Sarah Lawrence College alum, a blissfully married woman, and last but not least, a professional editor, to offer one small text change…Divine (you said it, not me!) Ms. Marthe. Ha! Good luck to all that enter this amazing contest. And to the winner…I highly recommend reinforcing your bookshelves!

It would make me so happy to have this entire set arrive on my doorstep!

My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding set. It was my grandmother's who was engaged and married in the mid-forties. This set is my only connection to my grandfather (who passed away when my mother was 9). He picked out these rings for my grandma and she wore them from the day they were engaged until the day she passed away in 2000. She wore the band completely away and my husband had it completely restored for me by master goldsmith Todd Pownell

Happy early Birthday! I've ben making jewelry for several years and it's difficult to pick out my favorite piece. I think I'll go with something that I didn't make. My husband surprised me last Christmas with a beautiful sapphire and diamond gold necklace. Can't wait for the new books….

Happy early birthday! What a great idea! My favorite piece of jewelry….hard to choose. I love the work of many artists, Sydney Lynch being one of my faves. Of my own work, I guess my Hydrangea ring is a favorite and goes with almost anything.

My favorite piece is a sterling silver bracelet my father had engraved with his name, my mom's name and the date they were married. Since they are both gone it's mine now.I'd love to have the complete set of these books.

This is very exciting! A couple of years back my mother gave me pair of gold flower earrings that were hers when she was in her 20's. I felt bad that my sister didn't get them so I made a ring for me and a necklace for her out of the earrings so we could both have some of our mother's history.

What an awesome giveaway! My favorite piece of jewelry is a toss up between a white gold and diamond brooch with my grandmother's initials on it. We share the same initials and I got it when she passed away. Pretty cool. But, I'm also pretty attached to my wedding and engagement rings

Whenever I think about the jewelry I have, I always think of the Bulova watch I have that belonged to my father-in-law. He got it when he was 65 and retired from USSteel. He started working there when he was 17. He worked on the same job for all those years – and he was happy doing so. Every time I look at the watch to see the time, I think of him and what a wonderful father-in-law he was.

My favorite piece of jewelry was given to me after I had one of my breasts removed because it had cancer. I always loved the footprint saying and my sister gave me a pendant with just that on it.. Not in so many words. It holds a special place in my heart and around my neck.. that was 13 years ago.. And I still wear it on special occasions…

My favorite piece of jewelry is the first ring I ever made. I wear it everyday, I lost it for a while once and then it just turned up one day. I was so excited because I had made a replacement but it just wasn't the same. It's simple and a little rough, but I get alot of compliments on it which makes me realize I'm in the right line of work!

That is a nice gift! My favorite piece of jewelry is a ring I wear everyday that belonged to my late aunt. A very simple sterling silver band with a winding river pattern in it. I wear that and the square ring my boyfriend gave me to, side by side, every day.

My favorite piece of jewelry (that I wish I owned) is any brooch by the late Marilyn Druin. What she does with enamel over guilloche work is almost better that what Faberge did with it in the eggs. Her pieces are very down to earth and just magnificent to look at. Every line is cut so brilliantly!

My favorite piece of jewelry is a pendant I made in my Jewelry/Metals II class at Kent (it was our found object setting sample). My mother saved a violin bow frog (the part your hand grips) of her father's. Having never known him, it was especially touching for her to allow me to have it. As I was drilling out the holes in the frog for the setting, I could smell his cigarette smoke from thirty years prior. It is the only thing of his that I own.

About 3 years ago I received a package in the mail from my mother. In the box was the first piece of jewelry I made when I was 3 or 4. It is fantastic. I hadn't seen it in years but fondly remembered it when I unwrapped it. Macaroni noodles and striped plastic straws strung on a string, with orange and yellow organic shapes cut out of construction paper, dangling sporadically in between noodles and straws. On the back is a piece of masking tape with my name. I even signed it how about that. The funny thing is as an artist today I've used paper in my work, plastic and even food in my work. I have this piece proudly displayed in my studio. A joyous reminder to play in my studio.

My favorite piece of jewelry that i own is a small gold pendant that my grandmother gave to me on my wedding day, I had told her how much i loved it when i was very little and she had been saving it for me for almost 20 years!

My favorite piece of jewelry is a watch fob from Yugoslavia. I haven't seen it in years, but I remember several rectangular vignettes linked with jump rings. Silver, probably cast, mostly hunting themes. There was a boar dangling from the bottom. It captivated the me-child. I don't know who “gets” it when my parents pass, but I'd be lucky if it were me.

wow- great contest/giveaway! I already own a few of the series but would be delighted to have a complete set! I have many favorite pieces of jewelry- the thing that puts a piece over the top for me is is the piece has a personal connection. Currently, the favorite piece that I wear is my memorial ring for my cat, Chet. He was a special little guy- having traveled with me from AZ to Italy and back in the late 90's. He passed away about 8 years ago- I've had his ID tag glued to my bench for years and I recently set it into a ring. It's beautiful, comfy and (to me) more precious than any stone.

The 30th is my birthday, too… Happy Birthday to us! My favorite piece of jewelry is a large purple enameled heart passed down to me from my grandmother. When my grandfather returned from WWII with a purple heart, my straight-forward grandmother announced “YOU got a purple heart for being a doctor like usual? I was raising 3 kids by myself on rations… where's my purple heart?” And so my devoted grandfather drove straight to Gumps to fix the situation!

These LARK Books, along with Masters:Gemstones and Masters: Gold, are some of my absolute favorite resources for rich visual depiction of the current work being done in the studio jewelry movement. These series provide the widest look at the creativity and diversity of the artists and the versatility of the materials. They are well done and well priced, great additions to any library.

My favorite piece of jewelry besides the new setting for my engagement stone (now married 40 years), is a bracelet that I purchased at Santa Fe Indian Market, New Mexico from a Dine jeweler, who is a great teacher, artist, friend. Hey that would make a great Lark Book: SF Indian Market Jewelers (all have to be registered with a tribe/pueblo, native people from No. America). You'll be totally enthralled with the work. Contact SWAIA, the sponsor of SF Indian Market.

This set of books would be an excellent treat! Thanks for the opportunity to win this, LarkBooks.

Emily liked your story. Today is my birthday and my favorite piece of jewelry was a jade ring my dad bought me for 8th grade graduation. I passed it on to my daughter whose birthday is the 25th, when she graduated from high school.

hello all, I have a hard time picking favorites because each peice has a story and reminds me of different stages of life. When i was in high school i went to a local jewelry show and found a bead to fall in love with. A simple red, black and white combo handmade lampwork bead. It has a unique stepped shape and accented with white dots. Executed perfectly. this bead is not a focal or centerpeice but it is THE bead that inspired me to get back into lampworking and jewerly making. the power to inspire is important and this bead is the catalyst that started me working again.-Ryan

That's a fantastic giveaway. I'd love to own all of the books. I have a hard time deciding on one favorite piece of jewelry. I love a blue and purple bronze and rhinestone costume jewelry pin from one of my grandmothers. I love some new mixed media pins by Danny Mansmith, drawings stitched and attached to pin backs. I wear a Mayan sun calendar pendant quite often. One of my grandparents must have picked up as souvenir jewelry in Mexico. Whatever jewelry I wear has to be close to the heart- physically and spiritually.

Love the Lark “500″ Series! I have been lucky to have some of my favorite jewelry creations in them. But my very favorite piece of jewelry is a beautiful camoe ring my father gave my moher when they were dating.

These books introduced to me by my Metals Teacher are all inspiring works of art themselves. It would be a honor to receive such a grand and fabulous gift. As I study the Art of Metalsmithing for Jewelry @ LBCC I have only dreamed of owning such a collection. My favorite piece of jewelry would be the piece I made first a hallow wall ring 1/2″ x 2″ triangular, sheet SS, mirror like polished finish. This is the piece while fabricating that I found myself falling deeply in Love with the art of Metalsmithing for Jewelry. I should be so lucky to have had this opportunity to enjoy the Art, but as to continue and be inspired by such a collection as these 500 Books.

Love these books so much! Such inspiration and beauty! My favorite piece of jewelry is an inlaid Indian choker by mother gave me years ago….no wait, it is the gorgeous turquoise pendant made by my Choctaw cousin Gale Self…noooo maybe it is my first bezel set pendant I made…. I have to decide????

My favorite piece of jewelry is a garnet, glass, and sterling silver cocktail ring that was made by one of my grandmother's suitors way back in the day. Garnet was my grandmother's birthstone and it is mine as well.

My favorite piece of jewelry has to be a sentimental one given to me by my mother It's a small gold fish(Koi) pendant craved out of green jade with brown agate eyes…. details are gorgeous and so close to my heart.

My wedding ring is my most precious piece! It is just a thin little white gold band, the smallest and plainest they had, because that was all we could afford at the time. Those were wonderful days. Twenty-six years later, I wouldn't trade it in for anything else

My husband and I had Joanna Gollberg make our wedding rings. We met on a volunteer trip to Guatemala, and Joanna made inlaid bands with a dozen different colors of metal that look uncannily like traditional dress in the country. We love the visual connection the rings have to our past, as well as the friendship we have with Joanna!

I love this series, my favorite pieces of jewelry are my own metal clay lockets made from the Celie Fago articles in Lapidary Journal. I just love the idea of a piece that holds something of value within itself…

Happy Birthday — My favorite piece of jewelry is a pair of earrings that belonged to my grandmother. They are antique gold, long tulip cones (with stamens) attach to a red round glass bead (has bead caps) and that attached to a large pale pale pink teardrop stone with a bead cap that looks like leafs. Lovely to look at and wear.

My favorite piece of jewelry is my grandmother's onyx and diamond earrings. The onyx is oval set in white gold, surrounded with very tiny delicate leaves (you can see the details on each leaf!) with 3 diamonds to add some sparkle. It's an old world setting but still timeless. I get compliments every time I wear them. My grandmother wore them and gave them on to my mother and my mom gave them to me. Both my grandmother and my mom have passed away but having these earrings makes me feel they are still with me and watching over me.

Wow, the whole Jewelry Series! Everyone knows Lark books are known for quality and innovative design, highlighting the best in the jewelry field. Wouldn't I love to share these books with my students during my travels when I teach!

My favorite piece of jewelry was something I made – it is not so much its beauty, but the journey it took after it was sold to one of my customers. The journey started when a true romantic was sneaking around a show trying to buy his wife the perfect gift. After hovering around my booth, he final swooped in so his wife would not notice and slipped me the funds to pay for a dainty necklace. I then slipped him the carefully wrapped box. It was all too adorable. The following year, she stopped by my booth, and with tears in her eyes told me how much she loved it and then continued on to tell me about meeting a sweet stranger who also loved the necklace. This brave woman was fleeing an abusive relationship. Their chance meeting and the woman’s strength touched her so much that she gifting the necklace to her.

I just love the connections that were made along the way, going from one loving hand to another. Jewelry can be symbolic, functional, beautiful and meaningful and each one of the Lark books conveys this beautifully.

Wow what a great giveaway! We have a few copies from this series and they get thumbed over more than any other books in our studio here at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery. The 500 series are the equivalent of a delicious buffet for my hungry creative self!

All I can say is WOW!! What a fabulous giveaway…. My most “special” piece of jewelry right now is my mother's emerald and diamond ring. Even though I can't bring myself to wear it yet(she passed a few months ago) it really means alot to me…..Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!~Sharon~lunrei@yahoo.com

I would have to say that may favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring. My husband made it, all by himself (he is a furniture maker/sculptor…so he works big) and of course it was made with love. Besides that fact, its an awesome design made from 18k yellow gold, mini titanium nuts and bolts and an uncut yellow diamond.

oh, and of course, my favorite piece of jewelry will always be my grandmother's 50th aniversary ring I inherited. Although not expesive, it will be priceless to me, and has a beautiful branching design that is so eclectic and original! Go Granny!

I don’t have one favorite piece of jewelry. I have several pieces of jewelry that are my favorites. Most of them have significance because they are storied pieces from those who owned them prior to me. For example, as a girl I would play in a Grandmother’s jewelry box. She had the same jewelry in her box from the time I was a child until she passed on. I was able to get some of the same items of hers that I played with as a child. The memories are priceless.

In turn I gave her something that was jewelry related. She always had to have a pair of earrings (she called them ear screws) on when she was in public. Later, she did this while in the nursing home. When she died we buried her wearing earrings. But just in case she needed an extra pair, I made a special pair for her and tucked them in her coffin before we put her in her final resting place. I know she is looking fabulous.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a small emerald ring I was given as a child. I lost it, playing in my grandparents' yard, so they later bought me a duplicate in a larger size, when they felt I was old enough to be responsible with it. Many years later, they were moving to a new house, and I was sitting on their driveway digging around in a small patch of sand, and found the original ring! Other than needing a cleaning, it was in great shape. I still have both rings, tucked away in my jewelry box, for when my daughter gets old enough to wear one.

A favorite piece of jewelry is a tiny gold locket given to me by my grandmother. It was given to her by her godmother when she was born and is engraved with her initial “A”. It means a lot to me to have this lovely little piece of my grandma's history. She will turn 89 years old on August 28.

What an excellent giveaway!I love and appreciate many pieces of jewelry, but if I had to pick just one that I could keep, I'd go with my engagement ring. It's not big and flashy or expensive, however I love what it symbolizes.

I would love to be entered to win these gorgeous books! My favorite piece of jewelry is a pendant/brooch that my husband gave to me on our second date. He hid it in a bakery box of Italian cookies–seems he was already pretty sure of himself, lol!

I made brooch in my second metals class, and it was the first brooch I had ever made. I was motivated to make a piece of jewelry that had a meaning behind. My best friend Patty was diagnosed with this illness five years ago, and has passed away on 7/22/10. I have been researching “Huntingtons Disease” and found a microscotic images, and they were complex and beautiful images. So, I knew that this is the approach I wanted. When I began making it was in an angry mood. I hit it so hard with my hammer and made mark that expressed my fustration, yet it gave it a gorgeous texture.She was able to see it before she left this world. She enjoyed art and loved to be part of it. Her eexpression will live in me forever, and when I see the brooch it motivates me to help in researching for a cure.

My favorite piece of jewelry is anything given to me by my husband or children. Other than those pieces, most jewelry I wear is handmade by myself or my artsy friends. Everything I wear thus has a story, and a meaning.

I made brooch in my second metals class, and it was the first brooch I had ever made. I was motivated to make a piece of jewelry that had a meaning behind it. My best friend Patty was diagnosed with ” Huntingtons Disease” five years ago, and has passed away on 7/22/10. I have been researching “Huntingtons Disease” I stared researching and found a microscotic images of this illness and they were complex and beautiful images, so I knew that this is the approach I wanted to take. When I began making it was in an angry mood. I hit it so hard with my hammer and made marks that expressed my fustration, yet it gave it a gorgeous texture.She was able to see it before she left this world. She enjoyed art and loved to be part of it. Her expression will live in me forever, and when I see the brooch it motivates me to help in researching for a cure. Flag Like ReplyReply

I made brooch in my second metals class, and it was the first brooch I had ever made. I was motivated to make a piece of jewelry that had a meaning behind it. My best friend Patty was diagnosed with ” Huntingtons Disease” five years ago, and has passed away on 7/22/10. I have been researching “Huntingtons Disease” and found a microscotic images: in addition, they were complex and beautiful, so I knew that this is the approach I wanted to take. When I began making this pieces was in an angry mood. I hit it so hard with my hammer and made marks that expressed my fustration, yet it gave it a gorgeous texture. I also powered coated in black, so it gave it a shilouette look almost cameo like. I could say this is one of my darkest pieces. She was able to see it before she left this world. She was stunded by it! She enjoyed art, and loved to be part of it, a true eccentric. Her expression will live in me forever, and when I wear it, it motivates me to helps me in my research for a cure.

My favorite piece of jewelery is an old sapphire ring my mother gave me on my wedding day. I always played dress up with it and because my birthstone is sapphire, she decided I should have it. I still have the ring to this day and wear it once in a while. It is too big to wear daily, but now and then when I go through my jewelry, I put it on and memories flood back.

My favourite piece of jewelry? I successfully made a copper, chain maille bracelet in Byzantine weave. And yes, I know — Byzantine weave is 'idiot-proof,' but *this* idiot needed a patient teacher before I could master this technique. <Cheshire Cat grin>

I LOVE Lark Books because they feature so many innovative techniques, btw.

I have a rose gold locket that was given to me by my Grandmother. Her aunt, a jewelry artist made it for her. It has the most beautiful intricate design done in filigree and has an amethyst stone set in the center. The chain is also handcrafted with the most delicate pattern inset in the links. It is such an unusual design, Maybe art nouveau, I'm not sure. I don't know when it was created either, but I imagine the late 1800s or early 1900s.

I love Lark's 500 series of books. They are very inspiring. Thanks for the chance to win! Happy Birthday!

Oh, wow! Would love to get into beading and jewelry-making and these books would surely help! My favorite piece of jewelry is a ruby ring that belonged to my great aunt. It doesn't fit and probably never will, but it brings me great joy every time I spot it in the jewelry box!

My favorite piece is the second piece I ever made (make that started). It has a fabulous artist bead as the focal point, and it took me a year to find the right beads to go with it. I always get compliments when I wear it.

My favorite piece of jewelry is the one I'm going to make someday. I have a thing for octopi, after meeting a baby octopus while diving a few years ago. I was visiting Maui last week and there was a Roberto Coin pave diamond octopus in a jewelry store that took my breath away. You guessed it, the price tag took my breath away as much as the beauty of the piece. I vowed right then to go back to school and take the jewelry degree program at our local college and make that octopus that I want so much, and a few of his cousins to boot!

Thank you Lark Books for some amazing and inspirational books from our favorite jewelry artists!

My favorite piece of jewelry is a large south sea pearl pendant with a cluster of diamonds on the top. I made it for my girl friend then, ( now she is my wife) I told her it took me a while to find this pearl, for the times I cannot be by your side , I know “it” will be in my place to keep you company…

My favorite piece of jewelry has been missing for a long time. It's a ring that my Mom gave to be when I was around 18. A round golden topaz encircled by about 12 blue zircons. My father was very blue collar and didn't earn a lot, but every time my Mom gave birth to one of us (I was the 7th and last), he would give her a ring. This was the ring he gave her for having me. Unfortunately, I lost it at an event I was volunteering at. At the end of the night, I realized it was gone from my hand. I had everyone left looking for it, but it was never found. If someone in Philadelphia “found” a ring like that back in 1975 or 76, I hope you realize what a treasure you have. I've never forgiven myself for losing it.

My Favourite piece of jewellery is a silver pig ring made by Australian Jeweller Vernon Bowden. Aptly titled 'Banker' the ring is a pig head cast out of old American silver dollars that he bought at an auction. The pigs mouth is open and creates the opening for the finger. I get SO many weird and wonderful comments when I wear this oversized ring. Such a conversation piece. I only just made the connection that my Chinese birth year is the year of the pig, I didn't realise this until later. Such a lovely coincidence

Oh my–the whole series! I love these books. My favorite piece of jewelry is a sterling silver cuff bracelet by a Southwest Indian artist. It has a scene called Young Eagle Dancer on it in 14K gold. When we lived in Vail, CO, I looked at the bracelet every time I went downtown. My husband bought it for my birthday present and I still wear it lots. It has scratches on the silver now but I don't care. It gives me such joy every time I wear it.

OMG! I would love to win this set. My favorite piece of jewelry is a beautiful teal bicone cut aquamarine pendant on a gold chain that my Grandmother had given me when I was a tween. It is my most prized piece and makes me think of her everytime I wear it.

Happiest of birthdays to you, I hope you have an excellent celebratory weekend! My favorite thing is my wedding band and engagement ring. Next up are rotating pieces of jewelry made by two of my friends and they always draw compliments

What an incredible giveaway! I love all the Lark books (and was even lucky enough to have some of my handmade envelopes featured in one last year).

As for my favorite piece of jewelry, it's a piece I created using a smoke-fired focal by a talented clay artist who's a friend of mine. I used pieces of driftwood I had culled from the shores of Lake Michigan (varnished to bring out their color and protect them) and matte dark red delicas to create the neckpiece. I'm thrilled to say that this piece recently sold to a lovely woman in Sweden.http://www.etsy.com/transaction/32199861

Wow, Ray! This giveaway is beyond fabulous! As a metalsmith for five years and a bead artist for 26 years, I have such an incredible lust for these books. Your 500 series books are a gift to the whole world, each with its many hundreds of professional pictures to inspire artists everywhere to greater skills and artistic achievements. How can I talk about one particular piece of jewelry… OK… I'll try… I'll never forget my first soldered bezel, my first ring, in which I set a azurite cabochon… how utterly satisfying it was to watch the solder flow and fill all the miniscule spaces between the curve of the ring and the matching curve I filed in the bezel. When the ring sold, I was beyond ecstatic!!! Thanks for these books and for the memory replay!

I have a lot of jewelry. Some of it is vintage and some it is made by contemporary designers. Some of it is made by me! I have a lot of favorites… but my absolute favorite is perhaps one of my most simple and seemingly unnoticeable. It's forged to my hand pretty much. It's a ring that one of my best friends gave me. It's a simple band of intertwined silver. I've worn it almost everyday for over 15 years. To me it's a symbol of our friendship and reminds me of all the good times we've had.

If it's a piece of jewelry that I created. Then I would have to say that my favorite piece is one that I created in memory of my friend Amelia Geocos. Amelia was killed in an accident. She was run down by a vehicle while riding her bike home. She was 24 when she died. I created the piece with a focal that says, “One in a Million.” She used to say, “One in Amelia!” as a pun on it. I carried around the pendant, made out of fine silver, for over a year in my pocket. I finally brought myself to create necklace with it to raise money for the Amelia Geocos scholarship at our alum, the School of Visual Arts. Through an auction on my blog, it finally found a home with Amelia's mom. She was the highest bidder and it seemed right that it should go to her. The necklace, including the fine silver pendant also had hand forged chain, sapphires, pearls, and a Basha Bead. That piece of jewelry, that I made, is a favorite of mine because it pays tribute to a great friend and artist.

I love 500 Earrings because it is chock-ful of some of the most creative earrings I've ever seen. I am an earring addict, the crazier, larger, and wilder, the better. This is one of my favorite books.What a GREAT giveaway, Lark!!

I love 500 Earrings because it is chock-ful of some of the most creative earrings I've ever seen. I am an earring addict, the crazier, larger, and wilder, the better. This is one of my favorite books.What a GREAT giveaway, Lark!!

This is one of my favorite Lark Series! My favorite piece of jewelry is 'the Chorus of Urchins' necklace that was a collaboration between myself and the members of the Dallas Bead Society. The bead left enough room for individual expression, but was cohesive and came together beautifully into a necklace that I am proud to have been a part of.

On my 16th birthday, my mother gave me a ring that had once belonged to my great aunt, who shared the same name and the same birthstone. It is a large aquamarine cocktail ring with three huge stones. The last time I wore it was to my wedding, but I pull it out of the jewelry box often to admire it.

this is a fabulous giveaway..i love Lark books. it's diffiucult to choose only one special piece, but it would have to be a wide silver repousse cuff bracelet that belonged to my grandmother ,it's around 50 yrs old..there is something wonderful about old silver.

My faovirt piece of jewelry today is a new ring from my friend and fellow beader Marcie She sent me soem of her work to display at my show last weekend and added the ring for little old me! Putting it on makes me feel loved

My favorite piece of jewelry is a pair of earrings my hubby made me with copper a friend gave us to design with. My husband is a very talented guy he puts a piece of silver maybe a stone of some kind, out comes something wonderful. Today we call our business CreationsByTwo!

What an awesome give away! My favorite piece of jewelry doesn't belong to me. It is a piece I designed for a friend using an old brass cross passed down to him from a special relative. He grew up in Israel speaking fluent Hebrew and has the most beautiful voice. I created a PMC plaque stamped “Sing” in Hebrew and wire-wrapped it to the cross to remind him of his most special gifts. I had to have the stamp made for this project and with the encouragement of many friends the entire project came together beautifully. This man's story was truly the inspiration for this piece of jewelry.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a bracelet that was made by my friend, Robyn of Jewelled Trellis (jewelledtrellis.artfire.com). I wear it quite often and find myself looking for clothing that matches my bracelet, when shopping for new clothes. My daughters have all asked to borrow it at times, so it is a piece that will be passed down to them, I'm sure.

I'd love to win this beautiful series of books! I don't think I have a favorite piece of jewelry. Every new piece I make is my favorite for a few minutes, then another idea comes along and takes its place. I do have a few pieces I wear more than others, but still, there's no obvious winner. Kind of like asking what is your favorite food or favorite color–depends on the day you ask!Erin S

My favorite piece of jewelry is the elbow macaroni necklace that I made my mother for mothers day when I 8 yrs old with a matching bracelet it was painted red and my grandmother helped me. It was the last year I ever made my mom something because my grandmother said it was time to spend money. My mom still has it. Today I make my own jewelry and I still make her something occasionally to match her outfits.

What a wonderful giveaway – Lark books are always great, and the “500″ series is even more special!Thanks for the opportunity to win!My favorite piece of jewelry is the Kentucky Cluster ring I inherited from my mother, who inherited it from her great aunt, who had it made in the forties. I've had it for almost thirty years and wear it every day.

Probably my favorites are my charm bracelets and necklace. When I look at the particular charm – it takes me back to that place or reminds me of the person that gave it to me – it holds lots of memories.

It is a pleasure to have found a series of books that it is so complete and knowledgable . I am a collector of Bakealite and my first book was 500 Plastic Jewelry Design which I take every where. Just want to say Happy Birthday, and thanks again to the research team that put these beautifuls books together.

Happy Birthday in advance and what a wonderful gift. My favorite piece of jewelry is a ring given to me by my parents as a college graduation gift….many, many moons ago. I still wear it every day. jewelry can be such a link to the past.

My favorite piece of jewelry was the engagement ring my husband bought for me. He was supposed to get one of the 2 heirloom rings that were in the family as promised by his mother. A week before the wedding he asked his mom about the rings only to find out that her mother didn't want to separate the rings. My husband went out to the store and presented me with a solitaire round diamond on a white gold band. I wish I could say that I still had this ring, but when I was at a friends party I removed the ring to put on lotion. I had realized I had forgotten to put the ring back on and couldn't find it anywhere. I asked everyone in the house if they had seen it. No one found it and it is still lost to this day

My favorite piece of jewelry is the golden wedding ring from my grand-grandmother from the year 1920. i wear it since she died ten years before. it´s a simple band ring so it could be a men´s ring. so i could wear it.my grand-grandfather worked a lot that he coulc buy these ring.it`s a very important jewelry piece for my

My favorite piece of jewelry is a necklace that my son made for me when he was in 6th grade – he is now in graduate school. He walked from school to a bead store and told the woman behind the counter that he wanted a heart for me. They picked out a pink quartz heart and some seed beads and strung it together. I went to thank her for her help and, surprise, surprise, became a beader!

I have a couple of these books and love them. One piece of favorite jewelery……how do you pick just one. Having wonderful creative friends that make jewelry they are all special. But the one I like the most is the one I made using guitar picks from my favorite singer Sammy Hagar. Most are purchased from ebay or concerts souvinuers. I am waiting on that one pick that comes from Sammy's hand. It reminds me of the fun times I have at his concerts and to love what I do. Sammy loves his fans and the opportunity to share his gift with us. I am thankful to him for being so gracious.

Those books are a library in of themselves! My favorite piece of jewelry is a bead embroidered cuff that I wear all the time. I love it as I remember the joy I felt making it as I realized I had found something that I love to do….

My favorite piece of jewelry was made by my son in preschool — thick stretch cord (complete with glitter) and large pony beads, letter beads, and anything sparkly he could get his hands on. I have it hanging in my van now but wore it proudly triple-wrapped around my wrist for the longest time, even when exhibiting at my art/craft shows.

My favorite piece is a lariat specially made for me. Next to pearls, semi-precious stones and coral it contains a gold fish pendant, my grandmother used to wear and 2 golden coins my grandfather won at some horse races in Colombia many, many years ago.

My favorite piece of jewelry is my engagement ring. It traveled all the way from India with the mother of one of my husband's best friends. It us beautiful and I have not taken it off since I received it six years ago.

My Grandmother always wore a heart shaped pendant around her neck. I was the only granddaughter and she always told me the necklace would be mine. Through out the years, she would remaind one day this will be yours. My Grandmother developed Alzheimer's Disease, we watched her fall into a place where she knew none of us. Occasionally she would have a good day and you would see a spark in her eyes. One day I went in to see her and noticed she was not wearing the necklace. I looked around the room to see if the chain had broken and she had lost it. She asked what I was looking for. I told her I noticed her necklace wasn't around her neck. She then reached into her pocket and handed me a carefully folded facial tissue. Inside that folded tissue was the necklace. She told me it was time for me to wear it. We saw only a few more of these lucid times from her. I treasure that necklace.

I have a silver ring. Very simple band with a CZ in the middle. A very dear friend and mentor gave me this ring many years ago. He has since passed away, but the ring is always on my hand as a reminder of the special relationship we had.

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is the necklace that netted me 2nd place in the Bead Star 2009 contest in the Heart category. The focal is a ceramic dotty heart from Jennifer Heynen of Jangles along with two word beads that say “follow” and “your”. The piece is called Good Advice…because to Follow Your Heart is the best advice that I can think of and something that I need encouragement to do every single day. Thanks for the awesome opportunity to win these great books! They would find a welcome spot in my growing library of resources!Enjoy the day!Erin

My lst piece of jewelry that I beadwove (not sure of tense) is a peyote band. It was a riot of colors and not especially technically woven but since then I've made many more. My favorite is “poppies and lupines”, named after the California spring flowers.

Oh! The whole set? I can dream of winning and you can't win if you don't enter, right?

My favorite piece of jewelry is not one that I made, but my mother's wedding ring. She designed it herself and had it made in 1950 when most people wouldn't even have thought of doing that. It's a simple gold band, wider on the top of the finger than it is on the back (she was thinking about comfort even then!) It has a flower design with tiny diamonds set in it. Unfortunately it doesn't fit me and now that she's gone my sister enjoys wearing it nearly every day.

I love looking at the 500 Plastic Jewelry Designs book and have checked it out from my local library about 5 times in the last 6 months. It's just so gorgeous and has so much inspiration even if you're making something other than jewelry. My favorite piece of jewelry is a simple, sterling, heart-shaped locket on a sterling chain; inside it has some of my brother's ashes mixed with resin in one of the photo slots. I don't wear it very often because it is so delicate, but I treasure it so much.

As a maker of jewelry and a teacher of art, I had my faith renewed this week when my husband and I spent three consecutive days working on a brooch together based on an idea of his. It is based on a shipwreck and it holds a stone we got on our first trip together to Arizona – we believe it to be moss agate, as it has seaweed looking inclusions inside it. It was inspiring to see his motivation to learn new techniques and execute the creative process (this was his first piece of jewelry).

What a lovely give-away – and one day before my Birthday! It would be such a lovely birthday present, as my present desire is to develop my metalsmithing skills – thanks for the opportunity.JeannieJeanniegalt@gmail.com

My great uncle and his family spent time in asia once upon a time, he brought back silverware that was gold and black wood, prints, scarves and some siamese (at that time) jewelry. My great grandmother (his mom) reeived the prints and gold silverware, my grandmother and youngest aunt the scarves and jewelry. The earrings in the set are bells with dancing figures etched onto the exteriors. I have worn those earrings for many many years now possibly because I was the only one who could stand the bells ringing in my ears. I have always loved them not only for the singing sounds they make, but images they conjured of the land they came from, my great uncles travels, and how much he wanted the rest of his family to be a part of his life. I hope that I find work like that in your books.Thank you

My favorite piece of jewelry (that I've only warn once) is the Byzantine Collar, made in a class with Maggie Meister. It is the first time I finished what I and my beading buddies call a 'Beading Olympics' piece, and it feels fabulous on. Maggie is one of my favorite bead artists and I'd like to call her a friend. The bead 'soup' I made for the piece makes it look like stone or fabric rather than beads. It was my introduction to the history behind murano beads, the first time I let myself splurge for gold foiled beads, and one of the classes I took at Beads and Beyond (miss you!) where I first met my wonderful beading friends.

These books are great! My favorite jewelry is anything I am wearing that gets good comments. I try to coordinate my outfit colors with gemstones, etc. I am so excited when friends (or strangers) ask, “Can I see that? I love it! Where did you get it?”

A few months ago I hosted Gordon Uyehara as guest featured artist at my online TV show The Jewelry Connection.A couple of weeks after the show I received a package in the mail from Gordon and it was a gift of a very lovely pendant.I will treasure it always…..and then there was the fabulous articulated gold and ruby ball cage from Bobbi Wired that I received during our Christmas Secret Santa Exchange. The gifts of jewels from my loved ones and friends are held in higher esteem that any other jewels I own.

Art deco jewelry is my favorite. I don't have a specific piece in mind. The rainbow crystals, marcasites, all manner of deco forms attract my eye! Looking for them at antique shows is great fun.sylvia mcquaide

Happy Birthday, Ray and thanks for the opportunity to win these books. I have not had the pleasure of looking thru these books but I can tell ya that I would LOVE to see them and my fave would prob'ly be the one regarding pendants or the gemstone jewels…. I love to create jewelry and look at other people's designs, learn new techniques and be inspired by others. I will go back to FB, which is where I found this opportunity and fan Jewelry and Beading, if that is possible…. thanks, a beginner. Tami @ hellcatwoman62@yahoo.com

My favorite piece of jewelry is a pair of artisan crafted earrings I bought on Etsy from a silversmith in Italy. There's something so different about the craftsmanship. The crazy thing is, I never wear them – I have them on display in my house instead.

This is fantastic! My favorite jewelry…I honestly love my very first silver squiggle earrings. I learned the technique from Noel Yovovich at a class and since then have made the style my own and learned a ton! The original ones from the class are my go-to pieces. Thanks!! Jen

OK, my favorite piece of jewelry is a fine silver fused bracelet that my girlfriend made me for my 50th birthday. All the links in the bracelet are beautifully fused. Several months after she gave it to me, she mentioned how hard it was to fuse the silver and how much time it took to make… I told her, “No way, your not getting it back!” To date, It is a joke between us, her trying to get it back from me. NEVER!!! ;-D

Thank you for offering such a generous give-away! My favorite piece of jewelry (if I had to pick just one) would have to be my custom made engagement ring, made by Joyful Crow Jewelry. My husband and I both spotted the same stone in the jeweler's many trays of gemstones (an almost 5 carat iolite), and worked together to design the setting. It is a beautiful reminder of our love.

My favorite piece of jewelry is from my husband. We were in Door County, WI and I went to Patricia Shoppe in Egg Harbor. I picked out two necklaces I loved. One was sterling silver and it had a tiny peridot in the middle. The other was Labordite with pearls, two completely different styles. When I couldn't pick, my husband bought me both. These books would be wonderful to have, thank you for considering me.

I have two favorite pieces of jewelry, both Cameos, one coming from my maternal grandmother and the other from my paternal grandmother. I received a ring from my mother that was given to her by her mother. It was a tie clip won in a card game by my grandfather who had it made into a ring. I never remember my mother being without that ring until she gave it to me. The other Cameo is a broach given to me by my other grandmother. How could I pick a favorite, they are both beautiful and very special to me!

This is an amazing giveaway! Wishing you a happy birthday, mine was this month too! My favorite/most precious and dear to me piece of jewelry is a ring that my Grandfather wore everyday for as long as I can remember. When he passed away no one could find the ring and we resolved that it had been lost or stolen. Many years later my Grandmother passed away and while going through her things we found the ring wrapped in a paper towel thrown in a drawer. I am thankful that my mother looked through that drawer and unfolded that paper towel, the ring was the only belonging of his I wanted and now when I hold it I can remember his prickly kisses and even the smell of his cologne. Amazing what a special piece of jewelry can do, isn't it! (btw my second piece is my mom's pearl engagement ring from Vietnam)

My favorite piece of jewelry is a piece my mother-in-law bought for me just before Katrina hit Mississippi. We had visited earlier that year and I took my mother-in-law out for a day at the Casino in Biloxi. We had massages, played the slots, went for a fabulous dinner, and visited the pawn shop across the street. I saw this amazing bracelet in the case and ooohed and ahhed over it. She pushed me to try it on, and I refused saying that it was better to admire it from the other side of the case since there was NO way I could afford it. She insisted, and I did. She said, “tell Robert (my husband ) to buy it for you.” I laughed and said, “He'd never spend that much on a piece of jewelry; he wouldn't spend that much on my engagement ring.” Unbeknown to me, she took him back to that shop before we left and made him put a down payment on that bracelet, intending to pay over time until Christmas. Well of course, Katrina hit and the pawn shop was washed into the Gulf. On Christmas morning my husband tells me this story, appologising for not giving me a better gift as he had put quite a bit of money down on the bracelet that was now sunken treasure. Finally the last present was to be opened, a box from him mom for the kids. They opened each present, and unwrapped each gift until there was only one gift left in the bottom of the box. My son eagerly lifted it out wondering who it could be for since Nonna always made sure they had and equal number and this one was the odd man out. He looked at me with big round eyes and said, “Mommy, it's for YOU!” I was puzzled, as we never exchanged gifts. I sat in shock after opening the bracelet I had so admired. She apparently had feared the approaching storm and went and released the bracelet from hock, carrying it with her as they fled to Florida. I will pass this piece down to my daughter and hope that someday she passes it to hers.

My favorite piece of jewelry isnt one I even made it was given to me by a friend. A vessel he made of glass after taking my jewelry stringing class. He had fun in the class and said but all I do is these…. and pulled out amazing glass beads. After I looked at them and drooled he said he was doing a few vessels and he would show me next class but would I like to string some of his beads. I did and gave them back to him to sell. He gave me some in trade and said but I know you like green and pulled out a vessel he made for me after our class. I was overjoyed that I helped him learn to string and he liked it. Dave if you are out there still making beads know that bead made me continue to teach to this day!

What an amazing giveaway! I am a self taught jewelry designer and books are the greatest teacher besides experimenting. My favorite piece of jewelry is a bracelet I made using beads that my Grandmother gave me before she died. It was one of my first but it will always be special to me. It's the perfect way to keep her close to my heart always.

Oh my goodness, I covet these books! The Lark jewelry books I own all are gorgeous and truly outstanding. Thank you so much for this incredible giveaway!

I have two favorite pieces of jewelry. One is a diamond ring that my late father had made for my late mother. It always makes me feel like they're with me whenever I wear it. The other is a hinged fine silver locket pendant with 24k gold keum-boo embellishments that I started during a class with Celie Fago and completed in my studio. I wore it on a heavy gold chain that also was my mother's. Sadly, it was lost or stolen several months ago while I was traveling, and I really miss both the chain and the locket.

I can't help myself…my favorite jewelry changes every day (sometimes more than once a day!). Lately, I've been digging a sterling cuff bracelet with a small tea set epoxied on it. It's bold and soft all at once. The tea set was my grandmother's, and it is embellished with painted rosebuds (her nickname for me). Yeah. That and my wedding set from the Hubster.

I have a charm bracelet with a small silver cross that belonged to my mom. It always makes me think of her when I wear it. It truly is the small things that keep us connected to our past and to those we love.

Wow!! What a wonderful give away! In answer to your question about my favourite piece of jewelry it would have to be a simple knotted amber necklace that I purchased on a polish ocean liner when I was only 18 or 19. It holds wonderful memories and I always wear it when I need a boost of confidence or when I'm feeling great! It has been with me for about 25 years now and I still love it as much as the day I got it!!!

OMG I love the books that I have. I'm such a jewelry fan that I actually take my books to be signed by the artist if they are in town for a big show. They are my rockstars. Great books and great inspirations.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a bracelet that I made this year. It was one of those defining moments for me as a jewelry artist. Beautiful stones, red jasper, Picasso Stone (a birthday gift from a dear friend), red creek jasper. Lots of meaning in that bracelet. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway. These books are such inspirations.

My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding set. Not only is it beautiful, but it is meaningful and priceless. My husband means the world to me, and our love for each other is represented through a piece I wear on my finger. From now until eternity!

one of my favorite pieces was one of the first i ever made in class …the teacher said i couldn't mix copper and silver to learn sweat soldering…..i did a copper bangle with a silver strip on top and copper pieces on top of that…..and i get compliments on it all the time……best motivation….tell me i cant do something……i guess i am stubborn

I'm a mush and treasure all the sentiment behind my jewelry, but one that stands out: My first business trip, 1997, on my first NYC Corporate USA job; I was in Dulles Airport catching the shuttle and was feeling really empowered and well, on top of the world. I passed a kiosk with a guy selling handmade pendants. I bought a HONKER of a beautiful, pear shaped moonstone that tried to jump off the wall and on to my neck, 40 mm x 25 mm or something, set in a sterling silver heavy bezel with a beautiful heavy sterling chain. I don't know what the chain is I haven't seen since. I was a gift to myself to remind me of that feeling of thriving, and it has complete worked.

Your Jewelry related books have long been a source of inspiration to students of Jay Whaley, first at his jewelry classes at UCSD's Crafts Center for the many years he has taught Smithing techniques.I was first Jay's student there for some 5 years, and then for a short time his TA.Jay opened his own teaching studio in San Diego and left UCSD. Some of Lark Books 500 series sit on a bench there in full view of his students and are used as references.I now work for Jay at whaley Studios and would love to win these for Whaley Studios San Diego <http://www.whaleystudios.com>Teresa (Terrie) Masters

Would love to have these books in my collection!My favorite piece of jewelry has to be my diamond stud earrings I purchased as a reward for working so hard at my old day job. And I do love my fine silver jewelry I design that is a perfect fit with the diamonds.Thanks Lark for this giveaway. And Happy B-Day.

Today I was looking through my things, and found my grandmothers necklace that is a small silver engraved cylinder that pulls out to make a small pencil. The silver cylinder is on a chain of silver links and glass cut stones. As a child it captured my mechanical mind, “how did it work?” Now as an adult, it brings my Grandmother back to me for the moment I hold it. I think, about what she must have written with her pencil, was it poetry, love letters, or something as simple as a list. She was a great deal finder. Most of her furniture came from the streets of NYC. Where did she find this beautiful small treasure?

My favorite piece of jewelry is one I made that combines maille with handmade peruvian style components. It's very special to me because the focal beads were given to me by a jewelry making friend in another state. I've never been able to find beads like them!

Happy birthday to you! A friend recently sent me a gift of jewelry…always the best kind of gift! The necklace was made with a bead using the technique Shibuichi. It really spoke to me! Love the look of the mixed metals! The matching earrings were amazing…mixing fiber and metal…handmade with love and truly, one can feel the energy in the creations. Inspirational to say the least!

What a very generous and wonderful giveaway!My favorite piece of jewelry… I really think it varies depending on what pulls my heart in at a particular time and what is going on in my life. I treasure the artist in every piece that I have.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a ruby necklace. It started out as a cocktail ring that my mother used to wear. When she passed away, I inherited the ring, but didn't like it and never wore it. I gave it to my sister-in-law and told her to have the rubies reset into something for her daughters. Rather than doing that, she had the ring shank cut off and had the original setting turned into a necklace. She then gave it back to me as a gift. It is a beautiful necklace and I wear it whenever I want to carry my mother with me. I consider it one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever recieved.

Love those books!But, my favorite jewelry. It is a ring that my mother has. It was made from my grandmothers wedding ring (she passed away when my mother was 9 years old). It is gold and there is an oval bezel with a pearl. I never knew my grand mother, so this piece is therefore so special to me.

Your books are inspirational for any jeweler who wants to attain the level of a master. Keep the books coming so one day I'll have a chance to make it into one!!! What happened to the Iron Jewelry Book?

My favorite piece of jewelry is my pearl earrings. I've always had a fascination with pearls because they remind me of the the late Jacqueline Kennedy. There is something so enticing about them that I always want to wear something that has a pearl in it. When I put these earrings on I feel happy no matter what may be going on around me.

I don't think I could ever pick just one piece of jewelry I loved best, but there is a jewelry maker whose work is, to me, the epitome of inspiration, candy for the eyes, our inner love for beauty – every piece she makes is a true work of art. Her name is Cassandra Graham, her motto is, “Life is too short to wear the ordinary!” She compliments her unique jewelry with hundreds upon hundreds of tiny seed beads, and as she says, “Crystals, Feathers and Leathers, Stones and Bones… Jewelry designed for the individualist, using extraordinarily beautiful elements.”

One particular necklace comes to mind ~ it is a large piece (near the size that Cleopatra might have worn) and from within the design there is an actual sculptured glass frog jettisoning out in 3D! It is an amazing piece of jewelry art. Cassandra is not a new, up-n-coming artist, but a wry little woman of age with an imagination that must be a joy to have… her work is that unusual, stunning and just brilliant in every way.

And no, I don't represent Cassandra Graham, nor do I sell her work in the gallery I work at. I don't even own any of her jewelry as its out of my price range, but I do go into the gallery where her work is sold just to study it with my eyes and try to absorb her creativity of design, color and formation. I have been told she moved on from beading and jewelry and is now occupied in doll maker, which saddens me as her fantastically creative, beautiful jewelry may now be limited to what's out there now. I see this change of venue as a great loss… who wants to wear a doll around their neck, or tied to their arm?

So saying, my favorite jewelry is any made by Cassandra Graham – an exceptionally talented artist.

Hear, hear! I've had the pleasure of getting to know Cassandra a little bit at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee. Not only is Cassandra Graham a kick-butt jewelry artist, she's a wonderful lady as well!

I got to meet Cassandra at Wombats (a local fine art gallery in Waynesville, OH), and her jewelry just blew me away. It's so gorgeous the photos on her website don't do it justice. I think her work from beginning to end would make a fabulous book as she went from painter to beading and jewelry, and now doll making. It's as though her imagination has no boundaries. Thank you for your comments!

hi Naomi, I used to live in the Dayton OH area and had the pleasure of meeting Cassandra. She purchased a few of my lampwork focal beads to put in her designs. I was thrilled to have such a talented designer pick my beads to work with.

I would like to see a picture of your necklace. I am sometimes worried that my jewelry is too big to be worn and other times that some is so small that it is not significant. I would like to see your necklace.

YAY! What a giveaway!I don't wear much of jewelry, although i make them. Just my wedding ring and one sterling Batman-ring i made as an experiment, but then i attached to it so much i started to wear it! Ofcourse my wedding ring is much more important! *ssshh! my wife is looking over my shoulder* haha!

My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring. Besides what it signifies, it is a beautiful gold ring that was made by the lost wax casting process. My husband has a matching ring as well. And 30 must be the “number of the day”, because this year is our 30th wedding anniversary!

This is an amazing giveaway, and I would be absolutely thrilled to win! Thank you folks for this great opportunity!

First of all, thank you for this awesome giveaway!! And Happy Birthday Ray About jewelry what I love the best, is pearl earrings. I got them from my mom and she got them from her mom… something like historic asset? The earrings are small and elegant. Broken white colour, I can use it for every occasion.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a single articulated fish earring made of gold. My grandmother wore the pair when I was a babe in arms, and I remember being fascinated by it and gently touching it for what seems like hours on end. It's among my earliest memories. When she moved house recently she could find just one of them, and she made a gift of it to me. I couldn't treasure it more than I do, as it represents her love.

What a generous giveaway! I would love to win this set of gorgeous books. I have many favorite pieces of jewelry, but the one piece that means most to me is a necklace that my son made at his after-school care. It has colorful plastic letters of his name, strung on a piece of white elastic. And he made it for me – about 10 years ago. I will always treasure it.

I'm especially fond of my rings. I own very few, but all of them have a meaning: one that belonged to my mum and that she gave me when I was a teenager (so that's long ago ;)), the one my grand-mother bought me for my 18th birthday, the one that belonged to my other grand-mother… Or more recently, the one my SO bought for me from a fellow artist to celebrate my first ever collective exhibition (theme of the exhibition: rings!).

It's hard to choose a favorite piece of jewelry as so many of them carry special meanings for different reasons. There are pieces that were given as gifts by special friends, pieces I bought in special places, and pieces I wore on special occasions, So, I'll just mention a necklace that I bought at a low point in my life as a way of boosting my spirits–a simple brass ball chain with three metal strips each bearing one word–luck, hope, and courage. I wore through my own hard time and, later, passed it on to one of my sisters. It's not particularly glamorous, and it's definitely a little corny, but wearing those words around my neck–and occasionally clutching them in my hand–made all the difference during a dark time.

I guess my favorite piece of jewelry is an unfinished piece I am working on. For Christmas last year a friend of mine, knowing that I love the color green, sent me a large velvet stocking filled with beads, findings, beading threads, etc. The stocking was full to the top and almost everything was a shade of green. I went through that stocking like a child examining each item individually and thinking what I would do with that bead. There were some very nice barrel beads in green and white (that bright springy light yellow green), there were some nice little green cubes, there were some gorgeous sparkly green seeds and also some light amethyst faceted 4mm's. As I pulled each item out I laid them on the table and eventually looked over to see that my necklace had almost designed itself. There were the necklace beads, the drops, the fringe beads all laid out in front of me. I may give it to my friend who sent me the stocking when it is finished, I have named it for her as well. I love Lark's Jewelry Books and hope that I win some. As a matter of fact, I just love jewelry books and magazines and have collected quite a library for myself…but I still look at the books where ever I am shopping. I love them almost as much as those little glass balls I am so addicted to. Wish me luck and thanks for this opportunity.

Hi, Naomi! And…..WOW! what a nice comment to find first thing in the morning! Don't worry…….I have not forsaken beading. The dolls are just an additional obsession (like I need another one!). I took a workshop from Kevin Buntin to learn how to make them and have been having a great time but I have 3 art shows coming up so I've been beading like crazy, too.And thank you, Shirley….it's been my pleasure to get to know you and Nanette at B&B. See you next year!

I don't usually enter contests, but this one is too good to pass up! I have many favorite pieces of jewelry, but I wear very few rings. The one I do wear has a center tanzanite stone and channel set diamonds in gold. I bought it on the island of St. Thomas, it's a memory of a wonderful vacation.

Thank you for this fantastic give away. I love these books. They are so inspirational! Lets see my favorite piece of jewelry would be my wedding ring. My husband thoughtfully design a simple ring with emerald cut diamonds. I'm not a diamonds kind of girl but I still look at it everyday it just so beautiful, and it's been 9 years!!!

What a wonderful give away!! My favorite piece of jewelry is a small pink pendant that belonged to my mother – my mother will be 92 in September. It is probably not worth anything but to me it is worth everything ; )

A couple of years ago, my mother gave me a beautiful necklace with carnelian and crystals on sterling chain and said, “Here, you can take this apart and make something with the parts.” I asked her where she got it and she said that her grandfather had brought it back for her from the 1939 World's Fair when she was 8 years old. I have never taken it apart, I wear it often, and love to tell the story when asked about my beautiful necklace!

At the risk of sounding cheesy, my engagement ring is my favorite piece of jewelry. Not only is the setting one that I got to pick out and just love for it's antique inspirations, the stone inside was handed down through my husband's family.

wow, this one is wonderful! my favorite book is of course polymer clay (which is a 400 book – where did 100 went? LOL)anyway, when i need some colorful and wish for wonderful dreams, i take one of your books and let myself be drawn into sleep while looking at those beautiful photos and hope to dream about my next piece…

I have two favorites. One is my emerald cut diamond engagement ring and wedding band. When I look at it, I see a lifetime of love and acceptance. The other is my 3 diamond 25 year anniversary ring. One stone each for the past, present and future…husband and two sons…Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

I feel so incredibly fortunate to have found a medium and technique that I am truly passionate about and that seems to come naturally for me. My name is Prisha Brown, my line is Entwine Jewelry…I crochet with fine gauge silver wire. My favorite piece I have ever created is called “Playa del Silencio”, it is a freeform crocheted bracelet with beautiful translucent chunks of Chrysophrase. I was able to get a beautiful shot of this bracelet of a bright sunny day and now it is the main image on my homepage on my website. The person who bought this bracelet told me that it was purchased to be worn on her wedding day and that it would be an heirloom that she would always treasure.

I'm a new-at-jewellery-making granny who is always looking for inspiration. What I see here is absolutely staggering. Evocative, provocative and able to take the mind to gilded places one would have thought utterly impossible.

WOW! What a great set of books. My favorite piece of jewelry is a ring that I inherited from my grandmother. It has my birthstone in it. When I was little girl she would catch me looking into her jewelry box admiring it and tell me “someday you can have it” . After she passed away (age 96) I found it tucked away with a note to me. I'll always treasure it as I think back on all the good times we had together.

I have had my eye on the 500 Plastic Jewelry designs for a while now, but it would be amazing to have the whole collection! My most precious piece of jewelry is, of course, my wedding band. I made it myself and it is non-traditional with an opal and two green tourmalines.

It's hard to pick my favorite piece of jewelry. I do seed bead work and I love the intricacy of it. I did take a PMC class one time and made a pendant with a dragonfly on it. I love it but have yet to string it up, just can't decide on a design. Maybe this set of books would help me find a design I love to make it special. Thanks for offering this give-away.

I love the books, I had no idea there were so many of them. If I don't win, I see a trip to the book store is in order!My favorite piece of jewelry is the one my grandfather made with the stones my great aunt got from Australia. His work was a bit crude and unrefined but made with love non-the-less.

My most precious piece of jewellery is by Leslie Blackford. You can see the Sad Lil' Bluebird here http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs40/i/2009/039/1/5/…. I was lucky enough to sit by Leslie at the 2009 International Polymer Clay Association Retreat in Chicago as she worked on the piece. As I watched, she fished around in a box of found objects and brought out the metal frame – a discarded drawer pull, and just popped him inside, and said, “There you go, Lil' Bluebird.” It was so perfect for him. She promised him to me, but I had to wait for a year whilst he was photographed for a collection of her work, and I finally received him this summer. What I so admire about Leslie's work is that every piece, every character has a story to tell, and the more you look, the more detail you find to add to that story. Her work is instantly recognisable, and Leslie has been my inspiration since I first met her at a workshop in the UK three years ago. She is a very talented and warm person and a pleasure to work with.

Thank you for this contest. I was laid off from my job in February. I love this series of books. I'm on a tight tight budget so the chance for this set is awesome. I love my jewelry from Chickenscratch, Lisa and Scott Cylinder. I have a frog pendant from them, that just makes my soul happy. Their combination of wit and whimsy, and excellent craftmanship inspires me. Never mind that they're GREAT people. Thanks again for the chance for this set. I'd LOVE to win. Hooray for Lark!

You want us to pick ONE favorite??? Ok… well I would have to say my wedding and engagement ring set, a beautiful platinum set by amazing Colorado artist Scott Keating. I have many, many favorite pieces (and would LOVE one by Todd Reed!), but the rings I wear every day. I met Todd a long time ago in Tucson when he was just starting out, and he couldn't have been nicer. His work is so beautifully crafted and finished, derivative of NOTHING.

Wow, what an amazing giveaway! So here goes for my chance to win (although I'll be away on holiday when you do the draw)

My favourite piece of jewellery is a ring that was given to me by my Mum after my paternal grandmother died. My Mum thought I'd love to have something of hers to wear and have a constant reminder.

It is a Sri Lankan Claddagh ring, so the hands hold a stone instead of a heart, and there isn't a heart at the top. I only know it's of Sri Lanken origin as when I was in a jewellers in Sri Lanka I was asked when I got it and I was told the history.

The stone was an opal which had a genuine amazing fire to it, but it must have been flawed as one day I caught it on a basin and it cracked and broke. I was devistated! I managed to have it cut off my hand (put on a bit of weight, shucks) and the stone replaced. Re-soldered back together but unfortunately during a house move the join pressed on a box just just the right way and the ring has come apart.

My favorite piece of jewellery is any of the gold crochet pieces made by Michael David Sturlin. I don't own any …..but I love admiring his work from afar and dreaming that one day I will get to wear one….

What a wonderful giveaway! I have been eyeing these books for a longtime and have been having a hard time to choose. I actually have two all time favorite pieces. I was given a broach of my grandma's at a very young age and fell in love with the design. It had started me with out with, “How do they do that?” and getting me into jewelry making. And the next is actually a ring from a gumball machine. A little boy I use to babysit mom just got engaged and was given a ring by her now husband. The little boy was told it was tradition to give to a girl you thought was cool and wanted to have her be a part of your life. He ended up getting a ring out of a gumball machine. Gave it to me because he thought I was cool and he could play Atari with me for the rest of my life. (I am dating myself here) Still have the ring but he found another girl.

I created a baby spoon for my granddaughter before she was born and it is my favorite. Not really jewelry but metalwork. It was a rocking horse made from silver and copper. The tail of the horse flowed into the spoon. The horse would rock except it rested on its tail and the spoon would sit upoff of the table. My daughter was really pleased!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Jewelry that tells a story or makes a political statement has special meaning for me. I created a brooch entitled, “When I See One Bird I Think of You.” This piece tells the story of an experience my family and I had on the day my father died. On the drive to my mother's house, I was grief stricken. I am not a religious person, but spiritual. I tearfully looked to the heavens and asked for a sign that my father was OK. Just then, my husband said,” Look at that. A huge bird is hovering over the car's sunroof.” I looked up to see a bird with a wingspan of about 4 feet flying over our car. The bird stayed with us for the 2 mile drive, on a winding road. When we reached the house and pulled into the driveway, the bird looked back at us, flipped a wing, as if to wave goodbye. Then it flew off up and over my mother's house. I am really glad that my husband and son were with me to witness this. THis experience gave me great comfort in my time of grief. The piece be viewed here: http://tinyurl.com/27wvuvy

What a great giveaway!My birthday is on the 31st. So happy birthday to Ray … to me… and from the comments, to Emily.My favorite piece of jewelry is one I make … a swarovski cyrstal dome ring. I love wearing a little bit of bling. It always makes me smile, and isn't it nice to have just a little bit of sparkle on your fingers?http://beadedtreasures.us/rings.aspx

Wow, what a generous contest and what a lovely gathering of beautiful thoughts. My favorite piece of jewelry, I'm sorry, it's sappy, but it's my engagement ring. It's one of those platinum filigree pieces from about 1927 and it just mesmerized me in the window of Limited Unlimited in Mt. Kisco NY back in 1990. Hubby-to-be bought it that season and held it for 3 years before we got engaged. In 1990 I was so sad that it disappeared and I couldn't visit it any more. I have always loved jewelry and currently edit the bulletin of our mineral club. Keep up the great work, Lark! Nobody else does what you do.

Such an amazing giveaway!! I have looked at, admired, drooled and coveted these books for a long time but they have never materialized off of my wish-lists and into my studio. Winning the set would be over the top, pure heaven!

My favorite piece is not really jewelry but a small lidded box made in memory of my dad who is an inspiration for myself and my work. It is patinated copper with sterling and fine silver embellishments. Inside is a tiny scroll with a sketch, a personal message from him. I call the piece “Legacy of the King”. This piece has exhibited on his own, travels with me to shows and has a prominent place in the studio.

My heart is racing and beads of sweat are forming on my brow at the mere THOUGHT of winning this collection of books!!! ACTUALLY winning would most likely trigger a heart attack, but please do not let this discourage you from selecting me — it would so totally be worth it! =D My favorite jewelry items are rings. I have an oblong black onyx set in gold that was my mother's — very Mad-Men-ish — that I find quite mezmerizing. Thank you for the opportunity to win these awesome books!!!

My favorite piece of jewelry is constantly changing. Lately I've been wearing a crazy elk ivory, pearl, sterling, 14 karat gold and chrysoprase necklace I recently designed and made. But I'd have to say, the ring my husband gave me after we eloped six years ago is probably the most special thing I own and consistently wear. It was designed by him, whipped up by a Chicago jeweler and features a one carat, antique cut diamond that was originally in his grandmother's engagement ring as well as a one carat, pear cut tsavorite he scrounged up from a mine in Tanzania. The design is delicious and it gets a lot of attention…from everyone…which helps remind me, constantly, just how beautiful and unique it is.

I just returned my local library's copy of “1000 Rings” yesterday. I wanted to look it through before deciding if I needed it in my own library. It only took me about 5 pages to know I have to have it! So…perhaps it was meant to be that this giveaway came along.

The piece of jewelry I seem to wear the most (seems to match everything I wear) is a simple little silver floral pendant that I bought at an art show. I've shown it to a number of metalsmiths and metal clay artists and nobody knows for sure how it was created.

I am a polymer clay artist and I would love, love, love to win this set of books to have for my very own!

My favorite piece of jewelry is a little opal ring that I inherited from my deceased aunt. Besides always reminding me of this amazing lady, it provides an immediate trip back to my 9-year-old view of the ring-that it was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen! Regardless of its actual worth and aesthetic value I can't see the ring without feeling similarly about it-context and our own histories with these pieces matter above all else.

What a generous giveaway! It is so difficult to pick a favorite piece of jewelry, but a charm bracelet I purchased from Tracy Stanley is one that gives me great pleasure to wear. Crafted from sterling silver and lampwork beads, the stamped charms and whimsical dangles have a coffee theme, perfect for an artist from the Seattle area. I always receive compliments when I wear it.

I think my favorite piece would be a vintage necklace I inherited from my aunt. It is Norwegian silver, has gorgeous amethyst cabochons and pretty little flourishes which connect with sterling chain swags. It's so unusual, no mistaking that it's vintage, and is so meaningful with the attachment it has to my aunt, as well as our family's Scandinavian heritage. Think I'll go put it on now! Thanks for the opportunity to win, as well as share a bit of a story!

Your books are just so well put together and beautiful to look at! They are truly inspiring. I won the 500 earrings book at an Orchid dinner auction in Tucson a few years ago. It came full of autographs, too! I'd be thrilled to win the rest of the set and make my LARK LIBRARY complete!

Wow, 10 books, 500 designs in each (and 1000 rings), that is 5000 pieces of inspiration! Plus Brilliance, well that is just brilliant! Of course I would love to win this bunch!I always thought that my favourite piece of jewellery should be something I made. I don't know why, I just felt like that would be correct – like Leonardo unable to sell his mona Lisa, I should make a piece i wouldn't be able to part with. But my favourite piece of jewellery came from my aunt's chest (oops, literally). It's an antique piece of no big value, but it looks exactly like something I would love to have constructed myself from old broken jewellery. It looks like some of the parts came from different jewellery pieces, only apparently this is what it's always looked like. And ironically enough my aunt gave it to me saying it's a piece of garbage and I should make something out of it. I couldn't, it perfect…

I love this series and have been inspired by it for many years now. My favorite piece in my own collection is a necklace that I made for myself as a remembrance of my grandmother. It is entirely constructed with cold connections and uses found objects that conjure up memories of her. She was a hard working farmer's wife who was very creative herself and always found use for every little scrap. I love the chance to explain its meaning every time I wear it.

Amazing giveaway. My current favorite item of jewelry are the cupcake bracelets I am working on but have not yet released. They feature handcrafted lampwork cupcake beads I purchase from independent artists. HOWEVER, I am craving to work in PMC so that I can nestle flatback cupcake beads in resin. These books would surely inspire me!

This is a terrific giveaway, and so generous! My favorite piece of jewelry is something I created myself. It is a copper repousse oak leaf which took me several hours to achieve just the right balance of curves and lines. I then wire wrapped a pearl necklace and suspended the oak leaf from a twig shaped toggle. It represents my most favorite things, magestic trees and flowing water!

I love books, I love to learn, I love beautiful handmade jewelry. In these books we have all possibilities: to admire and to learn. Here, in Poland Europe achieving presented books is hardlu possible. I would be thrilled to read them page by page, to sleep with them under my pillow

These book are wonderful, and a great way to acknowledge emerging creative artists. My favorite piece of jewelry is a pearl ring that has pearls collected from a variety of trips. It reminds me of them all every time I wear it and since its a ring it is always in my view!

What a great giveaway…thank you for giving us the opportunity. I have many pieces of favorite jewelry, some of which I made myself, mostly purchased pieces….my favorites are cyclical, sometimes classic, sometimes funky and then maybe industrial….I have favorites that I have made but don't possess, either sold or gifted them to someone and think why didn't I keep that piece??? Anyhow, I love the 500 jewelry series and have a couple in my library, others I have looked through longingly…it would be a great treat to win the whole lot!

Would love to win ! but but but …. will be very difficult to choose, as I have yet lot of titles of this GREAT collection ! I will not have to chose ? I will win the COMPLETE serie ??!! wow ! TERRIFIC news ! But … what ? I have to do some work ? write a notice about my favourite piece of jewelry ? tsss …. Well, the difficulty for me (apart the language : I'm french ! yes, I know, can't have ALL qualities …;-)) will be to CHOOSE my favourite piece of jewelry : I'm so in passion with jewelry ! (I manage a blog about contemporary jewelry, perhaps some of you know it, a French blog, named “bijoucontemporain” …)Well, I will talk to you about the last “500 Series” I bought (and then, offered to my jeweller's friend : the book is TOO FANTASTIC !), the “500 Plastic jewelry designs” : my friend, who is a French jeweller who makes ONLY plastics recycled jewels, received the book and called me. We remained on the phone if I remember well TWO HOURS commenting all the book !!! from my part or from hers, there was only exclamation “and THIS ONE !! too fantastic ! love this texture ! ” , “and this ONE !!! would LOVE to have it !” “and page … did you noticed this one ? what do you think ? is it smooth ? or hard plastic ?”. TWO HOURS of shared enthusiasm for all these creations, all these gorgeous pictures, all these discoveries, in one word, all this BEAUTY !THANKS to Marthe Le Van !!! Marianne

What an exciting and generous contest! Thank you for the opportunity to enter!

My current all time favorite piece of jewelry is a simple one, but I live in it. It is a sterling silver chain comprised of 32 little tiny snakes I made using investment casting or “lost wax casting”, which are connected by soldered links! I have cast more little snakes to make matching accessories. =D

As an artisan this series of books helps with what I call “torch block”. I am a Lampworker and when I am dying to go to the torch but cant seem to get into that meditative state that occurs for me I use these books to either get me there or fill the time. I can honestly say I dont have a favorite piece of jewelry, I LOVE them all! What I can tell you is that every bead and piece of jewelry I create has part of my spirit in it. Things like this just happen. Thanks so much for the competition and please ask Miss M to do another Lampwork book! It's time for Volume II.

wow! what an amazing opportunity! Being an art student studing metals this would benifit me greatly and my fellow artists. My favorite piece of jewelry is this little locket i recieved from my great great grandmother on my fathers side with the picutre of her and my great great grandfather. The locket is stunning and simple and i treasure it deeply. Thank you for the chance to win an amazing book set! good luck everyone entering!

Lark Books has published some of my favorite beading and metalsmithing books. Authors, content, and illustrations are all great. I love the master's series … have one, would love to have the rest.thanks for the giveaway!Mary Alexander

My favorite piece of jewelry is my first piece that I made at school without direction. It reminds me that anything is possible and dreams are attainable. I am just starting out on my own and would love to have these for my collection to inspire and remind me of how humbly grateful I am for the amazing artists that strive on a daily basis to forge forward and create.

Oh, what a great giveaway! I hope I win!my favorite piece of jewelry has to be my wedding band. The design is nothing special, but the man who scrimped and saved to surprise me with it certainly is. I have lots of uniquely designed pieces – which I adore – but the sentiment behind my ring will make me cherish it forever.

I love the Lark books!As I was thinking about a favorite piece of jewelry, I gazed at the comment below me. The poster was talking about an opal ring she inherited from an aunt. It's funny, because the exact ring she loves, fills me with guilt. I was given a gold opal ring when I was about ten years old from a great aunt. I was obviously too young to take good care of it. I still remember losing it in karate class (dressing room) and anguish over it to this day.

As a jeweler by trade, it's impossible to have a favorite piece. I do remember the palace jewels in Istanbul. There was this tiny little man made from pearls and stones, sitting on a bejeweled pillow. Sort of like a little sultan that you fit in the palm of your hand.

What a fabulous collection of books! My favorite piece of jewelry is a simple, modernist, forged brass bangle made by Arthur King. It is drilled in places and incorporates brass pins that add movement and visual interest. It's vintage mod pieces like the King bracelet that inspired me to begin working with metal myself.

My daughter just got her first job as a jewelry teacher for high school students, these books would be an inspiration to her future jewelry designer/students. My favorite piece of jewelry is a piece she made of her memories taking her dog for walks and collecting things on her walk then making a charm necklace out of them, they were bugs, leaves, even a piece of the dog's hair.

This is a tough one. But if I had to choose one, it would be a ring I received when I was in my early teens. It was so unusual (and we're talking back in the late 60's early 70's). It was spiked and rose at different levels. The ring was made from sterling and had a beautiful patina. I have always looked back at the ring and wondered who made it. It was my first piece of art jewelry!

My favorite piece is from a coconut palm tree. The tree was from my yard on the North Shore of Oahu. Whenever I wear it I am reminded of making it in my step van studio. I watched my husband as he proudly cut me a slice off the stump with his giant chain saw. I see him smiling at me as he eagerly hands me my “present”. I smell the ocean air, I hear sounds of the waves crashing and my foredom whirring. I am in love all over again.

What fun! My favorite piece of jewelry is the ring that my parents gave me when I was 16; my mom designed it, and it has a tiny diamond that her mother gave her at 16, an emerald (my birthstone) and another diamond to balance the design. There's a lot of sentiment and family packed into that ring!

How terrific is this? I just found your website and am so glad I did.My favorite piece is a very simple, elegant sterling silver bracelet. Two strands of heavy gauge silver wound together. I've worn it since I was a child. My mother received it from a good friend of hers while at Mt. Carmel (a convent at that time) to cheer her during a difficult period in her childhood, this in around 1936. She said the bracelet was old then and made by a Native American. I wear it as often as possible. It makes me feel special.

I love Larks’ series books, both the 400 and 500 series. As an artist working in polymer clay and other media, I would treasure the ideas in the 500 Jewelry series! My favorite piece of jewelry is a brooch given to me by my sister, whose fascination with amber has taught me to love it, too. The center of the brooch is a large, rectangular amber gemstone, polished and glittering, which is mounted in an understated but elegant silver setting of roses, leaves and tendrils. The brooch hearkens back to traditional styles, but is altogether contemporary. Just lovely!

My favorite (well, one of them) piece of jewelry is a beautiful silver squash blossom necklace from Santa Fe. Lark books are great, by the way, and it is really great that there are so many ways to learn new techniques.

I have the 500 necklaces book – I look in it often for inspiration! I can hardly imagine my joy at owning the other nine books….sigh…I find the necklace entitled Scalloped Collar by Kate Cathey ( in 500 Necklaces!) continually amazing for its' solidity and grace: I only wish that my polymer pieces might eventually carry such authority , and be so simple. I am always complicating my designs, I find….

My favorite piece that I actually wear is my wedding band, lovingly cast by a friend 19 years ago. Simple, simple HEAVY rose gold band. My husband's is the same. Perhaps I will reach simplicity in the end!

My favorite piece of jewellery is my wedding set and the ring of sapphires my husband bought to replace my wedding set when I developed an allergy to gold. I just love that I have a rainbow of sapphires on my hand. Rainbows have a sentimental meaning to us both.This is a wonderful contest not just for the books but to be able to see what makes a piece of jewellery special to many different individuals.

My favorite piece of jewelry is an amethyst ring I “rescued” from a consignment of scrap sterling I bought from an ebay listing in New York. It is the most divine papal violet cushion cut amethyst I have ever seen, set in a beautiful solid sterling frame with filgree detail, apparently handmade in Thailand. It had obviously been stood on and squashed, but five minutes of work with the mallet later, it was back to new. The flashes of red from this gorgeous stone have to be seen to be believed! I feel so sad that someone would ever have considered this beautiful ring, that would have been given in love, to be “scrap”. It now is a much-loved and very much-worn piece of jewelry.

Oh my – what an opportunity! I love this series and I own one of them myself. Regarding the favourite piece of jewelry – It changes for me. At least I wear only my wedding ring 100% of the time. But when I think about which piece of jewelry I like most I have to say it's a tiny pair of old earrings that belonged to my mom – she wore them when she got her communion when she was a kid. They're silver with nice aquamarines.I don't wear them anymore as one of the hangers is word out and I'm afraid I could lose them. I definitely have to get this fixed:)

Like one of the earlier posts, my favorite piece is one that I still intend to produce. As a teenager in the '70's, Southwest Indian Jewelry was a passion and as a novice jewelry student pretty easy to copy. Back then I designed a Squash Blossom pendant that I never cast. I still have the dirty, dusty wax mold. My goal is to redesign it and perhaps make it out of Silver PMC. Other than that, my other favorite was a simple heart I made last year for my sweetie out of square silver wire and mounted a heart-shaped topaz on it. She loved it. Great idea for a contest – Cheers!

My favorite piece of jewelry is my grandmother's wedding ring which I inherited from her and wear as my wedding ring. The design is beautiful, but the grandson of the jeweler who made it didn't like it and tried to have me redesign it, I'm so glad I didn't let him. He did design my engagement ring though and I get compliments on the set all the time.Dianne Millerhttp://www.artbydianne.blogspot.com

I am a jewelry maker, yet the piece that is most meaningful to me, personally, is a simple strand of amethysts that I wear around my wrist, as prayer beads. I have experienced loss, and the beads are a symbol to remind me that, though my dear friends may be absent, they remain in my heart.

Hmmmm, my favorite piece of jewelry is tough–there are so many candidates. However, the cover of 500 Wedding Rings leads me to tell the story of the wedding set I designed for myself.

There are a number of ways to look at wedding rings–eternity, commitment, endless love–I was focused on the idea that I expected to wear this jewelry the rest of my life, so I wanted something I really liked. My birthstone and his are both sapphire, and I like purple and aqua…so I came up with a set of graduating rectangles, radiating from an arc that crossed the engagement band, with the longer stones “reaching into” the wedding band. In white gold: amethyst, sapphire, and aquamarine. I was very proud of the design, and showed it to him. He said “but I didn't contribute to the design.” I said “You could buy it for me.” He said “well, what if I suggest some changes?” “Like what?” I asked. “Well…what if the stones were round, instead instead of square?” *Sigh* I was young–younger, anyway. “That would ruin the integrity of the design” I said.

Perhaps it doesn't surprise you to learn that, though he DID buy it for me, and it does NOT have round stones, I never wear that set, because we're not married anymore. But it's still my favorite piece of jewelry. I'm hoping one of my nieces likes it just as well someday…and doesn't have to argue at all about the shape of the stones.

I've picked up a few copies in this series and dreamed of someday being published in something so rounded, neat and amazing. That day came and had 2 of my designs featured in 500 Gemstone Jewels (pages 41 and 277)! Brings me such honor to be amongst the most talented designers of today. Thank you Lark for bringing our beautiful industry to many more eyes and introducing such variety to the public!

My Favorite Jewelry is a long closed 14K yellow gold necklace that I can wrap 4 times around my neck – no locket – tiny charm signed with 14K. Nothing special about this except that my grand ma got it from her mother and we in the family passing it from mother to daughter at the age of 50. Usually I wrap it 3 times and hang pendants on it…. so each time it gets different look… Now I plan making a piece with rough diamond that will look ancient to put it constantly on it.Thank you Lark!

There are lots of pieces that I hold dear, but I guess on the top of my head, I'll say the first necklace I ever made because it felt like such a big accomplishment. And I think it looks pretty cool too

Oh wow, what a wonderful prize to win! I am a professional metalsmith and an instructor at a wonderful little art college in New Brunswick. We love the 500 series! They are so inspirational for students and staff alike.

I have been wishing for my own complete set for ages, and will certainly be keeping my fingers crossed!

Oh wow, what a wonderful prize to win! I am a professional metalsmith and an instructor at a wonderful little art college in New Brunswick. We love the 500 series! They are so inspirational for students and staff alike.

I have been wishing for my own complete set for ages, and will certainly be keeping my fingers crossed!

Yippee! What a golden opportunity to win this fantastic set of books. I had a complete set years ago when there were only five or so books published at that time, and they were all stolen. So, I've been rebuilding my collection since then. But what a great thing it would be to win the set! Thanks, Lark.I am a buffet lover, I suppose, because I am having trouble choosing only one favorite piece of jewelry. My plain gold wedding band given to me by my husband back before I was able to make my own is certainly a favorite. But I'm also fond of my Queen ring. I have a collaborative series with a lampworker. He does the glass and I build the metal settings. My ring has a mysterious seemingly endless interior in the lampwork cabochon with little bits of metal dust from my bench inside. The setting is quite large, with gnarly prongs on a forged base, all upon a wide shank. May the luckiest Lark groupie win!

My favorite piece of jewelry is a piece my daughter bought me for Mother's Day in 1998. It is a small Black Forest Gold heart. My daughter passed in 1999 (blood clot-she was 24) so the heart is dear to me. As much as I adore jewelry-this simple heart she bought at a jewelry counter at K Mart is irreplaceable. I hope the pieces I craft bring joy and comfort to there owners when joy and comfort are most needed.

First of all, what a generous prize! I'm based in london UK and teach jewellery making with metal and polymer clay. I do have quite a lot of the Lark books already and use them all the time , not only with my students but of course for inspiration with my own jewellery making. My fav? almost impossible to say, it depends on what i'm into at the time. My ambition is to be in one of them one day.

I was in a car accident in '07 and had several doctors appointments everyday, for over a year. Part of my physical therapy was to walk. I would go to the mall where the floor was carpetted so not to make it uncomfortable for my back. Right outside of one of the major dept stores were jewelers. I would walk right up to one of them (Oscars) and gaze at the beautiful tennis bracelets that were designed by one of the owners. Twice a week I would walk up to this counter and look in awe like a kid in a candy store. The owner would come by and smile because he knew I was just looking and we would just talk about life and how God works in amazing ways. I didn't want to talk about my injuries or why I was there so often because I was also in another phase of my recovery and that was deppression. My husband had been so patient with me because I couldn't remember alot of things and he was also holding down the needs of my 2 special needs boys. One has PDD-NOS ( high funtioning form of autism) and the other has ADHD. One day a ring caught my eye and I asked the owner if I could try it on. It was an 18kt wg diamond wedding band. I couldn't have seen anything more beautiful than that. I called my husband and said to him I wanted him to come with me to the store and look at this ring. When he got there he grinned but his eyes had that I love you smile and asked me if thats what I wanted. Uh yeah! The owner explained to him that his pieces had these unique markings inside the ring. We were going thru a financial crisis because I wasn't working and we knew layaway was going to be the only option for this ring. Well, needless to say not only did we put that special ring on layaway but I also put a crystal tennis bracelet on layaway too!!

My favorite piece of jewelry tends to be the last piece finished. Learning how to make a piece come to life imbues it with a special significance, and it becomes my favorite, but alas, only until I am seduced by another learning opportunity. The experience of learning and stretching my boundaries is where my heart truly lies! Making a piece is my way of turning what I have learned into a concrete example, and thus it becomes my favorite.

wow, what generous and exciting giveaway! happy birthday!(wishing i could afford the gorgeous art jewelry i covet….)meanwhile, i most love a certain articulated silver bracelet i own…about 5 inches wides, made from hundreds of interlocking six pointed stars with a long sliding clasp…i believe it is a vintage piece from India…quite fabulous, really!

My favorite piece of jewelry was a pendant that was started as a class project with Holly Gage and that I didn't finish until 1 1/2 months after the class. It was a silver metal clay pendant with a large piece of titanium that was prong set in the middle. The reason that I needed the 1 1/2 months in order to finish the pendant was that I was lacking inspiration at the time of the class. Instead of just simply putting something together in order to finish the project with the other students I took it home, and waited, and waited for the inspiration… When it did come, I knew exactly what I needed to do with this wonderful piece of titanium and the design just flowed… I recently sold the pendant to a women from Nambia in Africa and I really felt for the first time that I was selling a piece of me. Strange sensation… Fortunately, I have my own personal photos, as well as magazine photos taken of the pendant, in order to remeber it by. That's art for you… ;o)

My favorite piece of jewelry is the wrapped blister pearl my husband gave me 10 years ago for my birthday. It is special to me not only because he gave it to me, but also because it is the piece that sparked my interest in becoming a wire wrap artist. I love the graceful swirls and the architecture of the piece. I had never seen anything like it before. After receiving this special piece I began beading and eventually began wire wrapping myself. I find it so rewarding to create something beautiful from a few bits of wire and gems. I love the feel of the wire, the way it flows beneath my fingertips and the graceful lines I can create to enhance the stones. Since my husband passed away wire wrapping has become a passion. I know it is something he would be proud of me for doing.

My favorite piece of jewelry was and still is a sterling silver bracelet made by the Navajo. It was the first piece of jewelry that I ever bought when I was 17, I am now 53. It was a sterling silver cuff with a tiger eye and sterling silver leaves. This bracelet was with me through some really tough times and an abusive marriage. After my divorce I wore it every day as a reminder of who I really was not who someone else wanted me to be. Last year I lost it. I know it is just a material thing but it was devastating and I still cry if I think about it. It is funny how a piece of metal and stone can affect a person. I am still hoping I will find it. It has a signature and date on it so I will know it if I see it. My second is a pair of earrings I bought my mother from an antique store that were made by Boucher, a famous jewelry designer and an ancestor on her fathers side.

My favorite pieces of jewelry are vintage pins! My mother recently gave me hers from the 50's – some of the flowers are plastic and still in beautiful shape. I have jewelry that my kids – who are all artistic – have made for me over the years.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a pendant, purchased in Timbukto, where i was traveling with my mother in the summer of 2007. It's a tiny map- four cornered, with little triangles, representing the three town mosques at three corners and a circle at the top, for the well. It's a tiny thing, and rather poorly made, but that was the most difficult trip I've ever been on, and timbukto is STILL hard to get to. We had a grand time.

I know I really (REALLY!) should say my favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring…but I can't. I will say that my husband is my favorite man, so that makes up for it, right?

My favorite piece of jewelry right now (and I really mean at this moment, because I'm a fickle gal) is a chunky necklace made out of intensely blue Peruvian Opals. It doesn't have a really deep meaning, but it feels like Summertime and happiness and makes me want to walk on a boardwalk with my family and spend an afternoon laughing.

My favorite piece of jewelry would be a pearl and gold bracelet that my Mother gave me on my 40th birthday. She received the bracelet from my Aunt, on her 40th birthday. My Aunt bought it for my Mom when she was visiting family in Sweden, so the bracelet has many happy memories attached to it.

My favorite piece of jewelry is the one gifted to me by my favorite Aunt on my wedding day. I was married on October 1st (1994) in the glorious out of doors, on a lawn in full, fall foliage and my Aunt Donna chose to wear a vintage brass charm bracelet covered in brass leaves and bakelite acorns. Being an October baby myself I was immediately drawn to the bracelet and she took it off there and then and placed it on my wrist — and you know, it kind of worked with the wedding dress. My favorite present on a truly special day from my very special Auntie.

My grandparents bought me a filigree necklace in Cordoba Spain 30+ years ago during their visit to the city of my grandfather's ancestors. For years I kept my eye out for earrings that would complement the necklace. Back then, filigree jewelry wasn't so popular here in the US. The necklace inspired a trip of my own to Cordoba, where I enjoyed the beautiful city and, of course, visited many shops who specialize in filigree jewelry and objects. When I saw a filigree jewelry making class advertised locally, I felt compelled to take it to find out how filigree was made and to make myself some more earrings. Although I had been making other jewelry for years, the filigree class opened up a whole new world to me and somehow the tight designs and demanding technique freed up my creativity. My favorite piece of jewelry changes on a daily basis and is usually my latest creation. However, the filigree necklace my grandparents gave me will always have the most meaning.

My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring. It is the only item I wear that I had nothing to do with the making of, but it means the most to me. My husband picked it out himself, without any input from me. He loves huge diamonds and making a statement, but that's not really me at all. So he picked something classic and understated, with a reasonable-sized diamond that I have loved from the first moment I saw it. It is my favorite because he put so much thought and energy into choosing it for me — and put his own wishes and likes aside to do that.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a necklace of plastic pony beads that my daughter made for me in preschool. I have been a jeweler/metalsmith since she was a baby. She was so proud to make a piece of jewelry for me, since I spend my time making jewelry for other people.

Hi – My birthday is on the 28th, and what a wonderful present this would make! Happy Birthday to you too. I have a couple of favorite pieces of jewelry. First is an amazing cameo pin/necklace that belonged to my great aunt. It has sapphires and diamonds, and is stunning. It is probably the fanciest piece of jewelry I have ever, or will ever own. The other is an oval 14k gold locket that was given to me as a child. It has lovely delicate engraving on the cover. It has held many different pictures over the years, and will eventually be given to my daughter, who just graduated college. She has so much jewelry right now, that I want to wait until it will be very meaningful to her to have. Btw, the book series looks amazing! How generous of you to offer this giveaway.

My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring. It's not only the well-known symbol of marriage, but for me it is also a symbol of the key to a good marriage. That key is understanding the importance of compromise in marriage. When my husband and I were about to be married and picking out rings, he was unemployed. Knowing that this purchase would be a hardship on him, given the situation, I selected a single wedding ring, rather than an engagement set. The price was reasonable, but the design was attractive. It did have some small diamonds of good quality, and looked like it would be comfortable to wear all day every day. Every time I look at the ring, I recall how I could have selected a ring that was much more costly (he had credit cards) but instead elected to be considerate of him and his situation. I think that has been a key factor to the success of our marriage which is now approaching 19 years.

It's so hard to choose just one piece of jewelry. But I have a brass and enamel bracelet that was one of the first gifts my then husband-to-be bought me way back when we started dating in the 70's. Besides the antiqued brass, the colors are dark browns and purples, and it still is one of my favorite casual pieces of jewelry to wear.

Happy birthday, Ray! How wonderful of you to share your occasion with the rest of us and what a generous gift from Lark! My favorite piece of jewelry is an flat-link Art Deco bracelet set with sapphires and diamonds. It was left to me by an aunt whose husband loved to buy her wonderful jewelry (good thing I was the only girl child left in the family to inherit this kind of thing, eh?) and he had a wonderful eye for selecting the pieces that came through his antique business. I think some of the most elegant jewelry ever made is from the Art Deco period.

My favorite piece of jewelry??? That's easy…it's a small gold heart necklace, my very first necklace ever, that my mother gave me on my 5th birthday. At the time, Mom didn't have much, and when she went to the jewelry store to find a present for my big day, she fell in love with the simple little gold heart necklace that would be perfect for her little girl who was born on Valentine's Day. The problem was she didn't have enough money to pay for it. She explained her plight to the jeweler, who demonstrated HIS big heart (something I find so very typical of those who practice this profession) by selling the necklace to her for the amount she had in her purse. I will always treasure it for the love that it represents. I'm new at this, but hope one day to be able to provide timeless and precious keepsakes… and to be able to “pay it forward” like he did for my mother. =)

My favourite piece of jewelry is a ring my mother got as a birthday present when I was about 5 or 6 year old. It's a huge emerald cut amethyst, set in 24k gold. When I first saw it, my comment was 'oh mommie, can I have this when you are gone?…'. Of course, I didn't really knew what I was saying at that age. It quickly became a fun anecdote in my family.

My mother died when I was 13. When her jewelry was divided between my sisters and me, the first thing that was taken out of the box, was the amethyst. Without anyone saying a word or questioning the ownership, my dad gave it to me. It will always be my most cherished piece of jewelry. In due time, I will pass it on to my daughter and she will remember the grandmother she never knew.

to be honest my favorite changes every day as im always making something new and get my inspiration from every where, my fav piece at the moment is the ring i have made for my partner ready for our wedding day! i have never soldered b4 so a friend came to teach me i have epilepsy so i dont play with fire very often bu really wanted to make the rings, just mine to make next and i cant wait, it was so much fun and will have even more meaning!! also my 1st attempt went a little wrong as i bought the wrong silver wire and it was way to thick we just could not get it to solder but i now have fantastic new thumb ring of a reminder of my 1st go at ring making lol

My favorite piece of jewelry is a cuff bracelet my grandmother gave me. A blacksmith had made it for her when she was young. It has some lovely inlay of copper and brass in the center and I can wear it with anything.

I have to say my favorite piece is a gold ring my father gave me. It was an eagle with its wing spread,. He told me this was from WWII….very worn, but made it that much more precious to me. But alas, the ring was stolen from me about 10 years ago along with other precious pieces. I continually watch for a duplicate to replace it with (on line, ebay,antique shops, and pawn shops etc) but have never seen any other like it. If anyone out there knows of one, it would mean so much to me to be able to replace this ring.

My favorite piece of jewelry, is the first complicated piece I finished. It is a locket, and it's far from perfect, but I love all its parts. I love the fact that I was able to make something that seemed so complex, and beyond my abilities. There is nothing like learning that you can do more than you think you can. That it only takes time, and the desire.

What a great contest! I have a few of the series and would love to complete the set. They are really beautiful and inspiring. Ray, I just received my copy of 500 Judaica. It is really beautiful! I am honored and grateful to be included in its pages! Thank you and Happy Birthday

Am I allowed to pick a favorite? Isn't that like having a favorite child? Oh, all right. I'll choose the youngest! It's a ring with a large yellow topaz surrounded by a ring of channel-set peridot. It was a gift from my husband to commemorate the birth of baby number three, born last November. I call it my “push present.” It's quite stunning, and I get nearly as many compliments on it as I do on the baby.

Happy Birthday to you on Monday! It would be wonderful if I won the 10 books. My favorite piece of jewelry? Well, I think I have a dilemma. One of my 3 favorites is a necklace I made using 3 of my favorite stones, Amethyst, Peridot, & Citrine rondelles with bali silver spacers. The focal is a hand faceted free form flat nugget of Ametrine. Gorgeous! My other fave is two strands of rubies melding into one strand of large, multi-colored, faceted tourmaline rondelles separated by Bali Silver beads. Stunning! And last, but best, is a necklace of pale aventurine beads with clear and purple glass beads, green gold & purple beads, and a pale, mint green jade elephant focal. This one was made for me by my husband. (We're newlyweds) He is new to beading and jewelry making, but really has a gift for it. It's really fun to go bead shopping and suddenly realize my husband is shopping for beads too. I wear those 3 necklaces at all times. I never take them off. Occasionally I add a necklace to the grouping. lol

I know these would be wonderful to own. I can see just by the covers that they are filled with great ideas. My favorite piece of jewelry is a chain necklace with a unicorn. My son bought it at a craft show when he was a child. I still have it after 33 years.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a pendant I made in my high school art class. It was cut out of a thin piece of steel and had a solid piece on the bottom and a piece on top that had cut outs in it so that turquoise and something black could be inlaid in the cutout spaces. The design was a hill with a moon. I love that pendant. Any way, I started making jewelry four or five years ago with glass beads. I liked to make watch bands to attach to a watch face. About two years ago, I found a website that sold gemstone beads. I really liked the stone beads and started purchasing them and making jewelry….not very well either. I took a class at a local bead shop that showed me a few techniques like proper crimping, use of crimp covers, etc. That is the only class I have taken and really don't know a whole lot about making jewelry, but I still try and really like to make pieces. I would love to win this set of books so that I could learn more and make different types and styles of jewelry. Thank you for the opportunity.

My favorite piece of jewelry is the first piece I carved from wax and cast in sterling silver. It is a bangle bracelet I wear every day, and I can see all the flaws and mistakes I made, but I love it. It makes me realize how far I have come in creating my own jewelry.

Love the books… my favorite piece of jewelry is a bracelet my husband made when he was working on his BA. He took a jade stone I had since I was a teenager, cut and polished by my Grandfather now gone, and made a beautiful bracelet he wrapped up and surprised me with for Christmas.

Happy Birthday, all the best for you!!!!My favorite piece of jewelry has to be a sentimental one given to me by my father It's a indian rubi ring, he told to me, you must to have it always, he gives you craft ;-)…. details are gorgeous and so close to my heart. My father is deceased, but he is always in my heart.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a gold ring with a round piece of red coral that my mother's sister gave me when I was 15 and visited her in Germany. It wasn't until I came home from the trip and my mother told me that my aunt had designed the ring herself as a young girl after WWII and how it had been her favorite possession.

Thank you LarkCrafts! These books are a fantastic way of seeing what jewelers are doing all over the world! The range of ideas and techniques are infinite! Someday I will get a piece or two published!!!My favorite piece of jewelry is worn by my wife. It is a mokume-gane ring in 14K palladium white gold/sterling silver, with 18K gold bezels around yellow sapphires and an exotic brown diamond. I must say it was the hardest, most challenging ring I have ever had to make… and the one I am most proud of!

My favorite piece of jewelry is a beaded necklace I made for my mom, way back when I first started making jewelry. It's not that well made, and the beads are nothing special, but she loved the color combination and she wore it all the time. I had given her other pieces that I'd made – better pieces – but she didn't wear any of them as much as she wore this necklace. When she passed away 4 years ago, I got the necklace back. I thought about restringing it, make it a more professionally made piece, but haven't done that. I'm afraid that would change it, take away the memories I have of my mom that are associated with it. So I'll keep it as it is, the way mom loved it.

Happy birthday, Ray, on the 30th! It would be impossible for me to pick my favorite piece! It would also be impossible to choose my favorite book since each book is filled with bountiful creativity and inspiration! However, it's easy to pick my favorite publishing group: LARK!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!! Every time I make something new in a class it becomes my favorite piece of jewelry. LOL! I do have a favorite bracelet make from art clay that is a panel bracelet taught by Jonna Faulkner. I love it, it is my finest work taught by a great teacher. Thanks for this opportunity!

A very generous offer from Lark, thank you! I love jewelry so it's great to be able to go through books and admire the different designs and types of jewelry. I have a watch that is white gold with a very thin band and has some diamonds around the watch face. I love this watch for two reasons, it's soooo pretty and it was given to me,a long long time ago, as a very generous gift from a loved one.

Thank you so much for doing this amazing Giveaway!! I adore books and I'm also a jewelry designer, so this giveaway is super FABULOUS!! My favorite piece of jewelry is my first sterling silver pendant that I hand carved from wax and cast in college. It taught me so many things and totally sparked my love for jewelry making.

Today, i received my first Lark Book from Amazon.com. Not only was I excited to receive this fine quality book of how to make Chain Mail pieces but to also find out from the back of the book that I know have access to this wonderful website. Ihave not made a piece yet from this book, but I can't wait to let you know how it goes.

At 18 years old I started an apprenticeship at Zale's Jewelers in Denver. It was 1973 and I had been trying to get into the business for a year following high school. At that time most of the skill shops were hiring returning Vietnam Vets not 18 year old girls with little to no experience. When I was hired it was a very exciting day but one of the most exciting days was when my mother told me that her great grandfather had been a jeweler in Ireland before emigrating to the US in 1859. She showed me the only piece that he kept. It was 18k very ornate and heavy. In the almost 40 years since that date it still stands out as the most beautiful and amazing piece I have seen.

On a summer evening 10 years ago I made my husband and kids a dinner of mussels. While I was cooking I wondered where the mussels had come from my husband thought they came from the east coast. He took one from the pan and tried it and gave the thumbs up. We sat down to eat and as I opened my first one something fell out I pushed it around with my fork, it look like a chain I started thinking that someone must have dropped on a pier and it ended up in the mussel. As I examined it closer it was a diamond solitaire necklace. When I look at the family they were in on the surprise. I just started crying. It was my first diamond.

As a full time college student, it is hard to find time (and money) for my favorite hobby in between school and working…. new books would be huge! Sometimes it takes a new inspiration for me to remember to set aside time for myself and my art. My favorite jewelry is a set of bands that I bought at my school's annual Object Art Show, in which the jewelry students make different jewelry out of everyday or simple objects to be sold for $20 or less. The rings are just simply steel rings with 14k gold solder. I love their simplicity and the fact that they are a little different since the solder is a little different on each, but they're still incredibly strong and I hope to wear them for a long time.

The family story goes that my parents helped out one of our neighbor's children while the parents were out of town. Upon their return, they gave my mom a gift, the most beautiful brooch I had ever seen. I remember adoring it as a 12 year old girl. It was two gold leaves artfully arranged. It turned out to be from Harrod's and was given to our neighbor when she christened a ship in Liverpool England several years before. For my fiftieth birthday, my mom let us choose a special piece of jewelry from her personal collection. Of course I choose the gold leaf brooch and I still love it to this day.

A sterling silver bracelet in the shape of a dragonfly is my favorite piece. The outstretched wings of the dragon fly wrap around my wrist.I bought it when I was much younger to commemorate working hard at something. This was long ago before the dragonfly motif was everywhere, but I still love it.

love them – love them – love them – love them!!!! i always feel so inspired after pouring over any one of the Lark Series of books. they are an outstanding asset to any jewelry library. thank you Lark for publishing this thought provoking and creative series.

These books are an amazing inspirational format for any metalworking students. They give great ideas for concepts that do not come easily when you are under the pressure of creating for a specific assignment. My favorite piece of jewelry is always the next on I create!

I have to say my favorite piece is the engagement ring I made for my wife. She wanted something non-traditional with a pearl, so I created a 14k white gold ring incorporating a 12mm baroque Tahitian pearl, redheart wood and some unique engraving… though it doesn't matter what it looked like – she said Yes! That's why it's my favorite piece.

My favorit piece of jewerly was a gold necklace with a two hands holding a heart. I was 24 years old when my boyfriend, Mark gave it to me. Mark presented it with love and tears. He spoke beautiful words as he gently stood in front of me and placed the necklace around my neck.. Picture this, I never turned around, this was done with him starring me directly in the eyes. Afterwards, he gave me the sweetest, juciest, most passionate kiss ever. All this was done in front of my mom, brothers and sisters. It felt like a proposal. I will never forget that day. I'll never forget that necklace. I never forgot Mark.

My favorite pieces of jewelry are of course the beautiful and heart caring works of art that have been bestowed upon me by my children over the years. These pieces can not get any closer to the heart…and I cherish these treasures over any of the best gems I possess!

I'm a big fan of all these books, and would LOVE to have the set! My favorite piece of jewelry is the first piece I made after meeting my boyfriend. He has taught me silversmithing, and a few days after we met, he gave me the most beautiful opal, that he had cut himself. The first piece I made was a ring with that opal as the centerpiece. That was 4 years ago, and even though I have made a lot of progress since, it's still my favorite, because of the fact it was my first, and that he gave me the stone.

What a nice (and generous!) way to celebrate your birthday with all of us! My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding set. Both my wedding band and engagement ring were made especially for me by Eric Heffelfinger, a jewelry designer on Vashon Island, Washington.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a poetic style cameo embellished pendent on a very long heavier chain. I've always had a soft spot for cameos, and this one in coral with gold metal tones and tiny pearl accents just captures the romance and sophistication without being too flashy or glitzy.

I have several favorite pieces of jewelry I've made but it's what inspires me that I'd like to share with you. My only sister Cindy died due to complications sustained in a car accident on Feb 19. 2005. She was 2 years younger and “off and on” was my best friend, typical sibling issues. She was a single mom and we had discussed the unthinkable back when her son Kyle was just 2 years old. Well he was 14 when he came to live with me, along with a dog and 4 more cats, I already had a dog and 2 cats. Of course the first year was terribly difficult but you're kind of numb and then the second year hits and you realize “she's not coming back.” Before she died, I loved to read, especially mystery and romance books but found that I couldn't concentrate enough to get through a page let alone a whole book. My mind would wander and I'd worry about my nephew, family and my job and lose my place so I finally gave up. As I continued to put on weight due to lack of activity and the comfort of cheetos & ice cream, I knew I needed to find a hobby. I decided that I needed one that #1 would require the use of my mind and hands and #2 wouldn't allow me to eat while doing it. I had always loved stained glass and thought I'd sign up for a class. Fast forward 4 years and now I have a full studio in my garage including a kiln. The very first thing I put in the kiln was a simple set of green & yellow speckled glass for earrings and a pendant. Cindy's favorite color was green & yellow so I liked the significance of it. Well, after that first firing I was really hooked on fusing and making the pieces into jewelry. I've even sold several pieces and done some custom work including pieces fused with pet ashes as memorial jewelry. I really struggled with a name for my “business” and then it finally clicked: “Smiley Glass Works”, yep- Cindy's nickname was “Smiley” because of her beautiful smile. I like to think that I was given this gift (if you can call it that) as a tribute to my little sister because I probably would have never discovered my glass passion without first losing her.

A favorite piece of jewelry is a toughie, because at some point it is my favorite piece of the moment. I had a nice collection of costume, sterling and some gold and lost most of it in a house fire. But my goal after that was to be more choosy in the pieces I bought and more artsy and unique. So it has been fun to limit myself and choose with a different eye- to really like it as opposed to just having it. I still have those moments though. I also like to create jewelry and wear my pieces. I think it must ultimately be the love of metal that drives me to most of the pieces. Metal is just so beautiful. I love the earthy beads too and Swarovski…and…and..and. I also think that 2010 has been a wonderful and exciting year for jewelry. The Steampunk thing really speaks to me and I think 2011 will be even better.Corrine Byers,Articus Studio

My favorite piece is my wedding band. My mom is very artsy, and for my wedding she made everything from my celtic wedding gown to all of the decorations for our celtic Christmas themed wedding. She is also a jewelry designer, so she designed our wedding set for us. They are matching bands covered in celtic 'love knots'. On the inside my husband had her engrave 'Love Forever'. So my ring will always be extra special, as my mom designed and put her love into the bands that represent mine and my husbands commitement to each other. I love it. Thanks for letting me share.

Thank you for the opportunity to win these gorgeous books. My favorite piece of jewelry is my engagement ring. By accepting it and everything that goes with it (husband), my life became complete. Happy Birthday!!!

my favorite piece if jewelry is a dog tag style charm that my father made for my mother.it's gold and has her birthstones and pear shape diamonds as an accent. she also was a reiki master so we had added a couple od symbols for her. well mom was diagnosed with colon cancer about 5years ago. show fought a good fight but succumbed to the desease this February and she wanted me to have the charm. long story short I never take it so that mom is always close to me. love you mom! happy birthday lark and thanks for a chance to tell my story

Thank you Lark for a chance to win these lovely books! And a happy birthday to you as well… My favorite piece of jewelry is a turquoise/aqua colored multistrand, multistone necklace that just makes me happy to wear it. It was really just using up the odds and ends of alot of different projects, but I love it. Turns out after taking a class on the metaphysical properties of stones, that amazonite is my “power” stone. A lot of amazonite in my fave… hmmm… amazing amazonite! Liked it so much I use it as my shop header on etsy…

Happy birthday! These are great books and I would love to own any of them individually, let alone all together. Thanks for the chance at them.

My favorite piece of jewelry would have to be a large rhinestone brooch that my great-grandmother had. She used to wear it to church and I remember seeing it on her when I was a little girl. She passed away before I was 5 so I was thrilled when my grandmother passed it down to me. I like to wear it unexpectedly, like with jeans & a t-shirt. Just a tiny way to remember her with love.

what great inspiration in this collection of books! I would have to say my favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring. Not only is it beautiful but meaningful as well. My husband picked it out for me without me and I just love that about it!

Every anniversary since our wedding, my Husband gives me a new silver ring with some design feature signifying the year. So for the 3rd anniversary, it was a silver band with three gold rings around the band. We are on year 18 and so it is getting complicated! He did this because I had a dream just after our wedding where I was an old woman wearing a necklace with 50 rings on a heavy silver chain. I love beautiful jewelry.

How grand to be able to be the giver on your birthday – best wishes for a fine year!

My favorite piece of jewelry is an necklace made many years ago by the sister of a popular 20th century painter/sculptor for her own use. Receiving compliments on the piece, she would always reply that it was “A (their family name),” never correcting the admirer's assumption that the necklace had been made by the famous brother. It is a fine piece on its own in silver and turquoise, made more wonderful by its “secret history.”

I love these books. I have so many pieces of jewelry that I love and are so special to me. Right now I am loving my Harold O'Connor brooch which he sent to me as a gift after doing a workshop at the Art Center where I work.

I am recently come to beading via my wife's influence, and am enjoying but still struggling with loom work. I suppose the piece I am working on at the moment is my most significant, but I am not looking forward to finishing off and sewing in, as this where all my past projects have unravelled, ( literally). Still fingers crossed. Onward and upward. Mike Jones#

first of all – happy birthday! it's also our anniversary! so my comment is about our wedding rings. like most couples, it took us a very long time to find the right one. when we did we were so thrilled. they are simple, platinum bands in the most modern style and mine has a tiny tension set diamond. we bought them in my husband's hometown in germany which made them special too from a local handcrafted jeweler. neither of us wear jewelry although we admire it in our studio gallery and on others. as an artist it has worn so well and we feel comfortable with the choice we made. my husbands however now lives in the bottom of the atlantic ocean as it slipped off his finger while he was body surfing in the ocean. so very sad. we replaced it with something similar, but we will always miss his part of our set. Lovely giveaway on these books !! our jewelry instructor would love to have these in our library with our other lark books!!!

My favorite piece of jewelry is my 42 inch black faux pearl necklace (designed and made by me). I can wear it in so many ways with so much and it never fails me. Thanks for all the great books you publish for us everyday. The contests aren's so bad either.

Awwwe, so may memories are reminded of those special pieces we wear close to our hearts, on our hands and even on our feet. My favorate piece of jewelry was given to me on my 16th birthday from my Mother, a simple gold chain with a mustard seed. She told me The mustard seed was a biblical reference to a story told by Jesus, it is a particularly small seed, and helped to illustrate how if you had even that tiny an amount of faith, that you could move mountains… I wore the necklace for a year straight. I somehow lost this necklace in a move after my Mother and Brother died and was very upset that this now, very memorable necklace was missing! I moved on and to another City but remembered that piece every time I designed a new piece of jewelry. I wanted my customers to have feeling and meanin in each piece they purchased for themselves of loved ones. My business was busy and I have lots of repeat customers. I am very happy at what I do. Yesterday, I moved my daughter to college and what should have been a very happy day for her was not as her dog of 15 years died. She reminded me that she had her dog longer than I had my second child and she could not be happy going off to college. My heart ached for her and I just held her and we cried. She packed up all her belonging and going thru old boxes to use for her move, she emptied out alot of my old stuff. She came to me with a single gold necklace with a mustard seed and asked me if she could have it, I could not believe my eyes as I know I had gone thru those boxes 10 years ago whe I was looking for that necklace from my mother. I told her the story that I just told you and she put the necklace on, dried her tears, we finished packing the car and I drove her to college. She called me last night and said she would be okay, that she had faith. After I got off the phone with her, I cried, as I remembered so many memories of my mother and brother and that is what jewelry can do for you……….

My favorite piece of jewelry that I made is a necklace with pendant shaped into a Tree of Life. I made the “leaves” with red coral and turquoise and the trunk and branches in copper wire. I used a red twisted cord to hang it. I usually wear it with a turquoise top that matches the pendant and the red coral and cord just make the whole necklace pop. I just feel all pulled together whenever I wear this.

My favorite piece of jewelry is the pearl ring my grandmother gave me when I was 5 or 6. It's just a small pearl on a gold band, but it was my first piece of “grown-up” jewelry. I still have it, although I can only wear it on my pinkie now. I think that's what started me on my love of pearls.

My favorite piece is a woven necklace that my Grandmother gave my several years ago.. its all tiny black beads woven into a rope that my Greatgrandmother made after the death of my Great-grandfather. Years ago.. It was considered in bad taste to wear jewrley after the death of a loved one for at least a year…you wore all black and the women would make all black jewerley called mouring jewerly to wear for that year…its very old and the beads so tiny that I'm afraid to wear it…so I take it out every once in a while and think of my Grandmas' beading years ago.It always inspires me in my work.Mona

Oh my, I have so many “favorites”. Some I've made, some I've received as gifts and some of course, discovered buried in some drawer after a long time of not seeing them. So I'll tell you about one really special piece. While I was the “head hand” for a local PMC Guild here, some of the members got presented me with a necklace filled with handmade charms, each one unique and different. Even the chain is handmade by one of the members. Earlier in the year, I had presented at the PMC Conference and wasn't able to participate in the charm swap. So one member, Lisa K., organized all the members to make charms for me. Later in the year, at our annual holiday feast, they presented me with the necklace. It is BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING!!! When I wear it, the charms make a lightly musical tinkling sound. It's truly one of my jewelry treasures. I always feel so special when I wear that necklace AND it receives many compliments when I do. To any of the members who might happen upon this comment, THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

My favorite piece of jewelry is actually not mine at all! It's my mother's wedding ring. My dad passed away in 1981 and my husband and I got married in 1985. As the eldest daughter my mother offered me her wedding ring to get married in and keep. I happily wore it to be married in but then decided it would be even more precious if we made it a family tradition that all of her granddaughters (my other sisters were already married) could wear it to be married in, so that is what we've done. It's a precious legacy because my parents had a wonderful marriage that we would all be blessed to have. Thank you for the opportunity to win this fabulous prize. BTW, my mother and I love making jewelry together and do it every time we get together!

My favorite piece(s) of jewelry are the wedding bands I made for my daughter and her husband last year. I'd been taking silversmithing/jewelry making classes for about two years when they started planning their wedding and they asked if I'd make their rings. I'd never worked with gold, so it was a little scary, but the rings came out better than I could have hoped. I was thrilled that they wanted me to make the rings, and proud that I had the skills to do it.

I first saw my pin at the Atlanta Contemporary Jewelry Show two years ago. As I was browsing, I spotted it in a glass case and was immediately drawn to it. It was red and in the shape of a woman and was exquisite. I asked the artist, Deb Karash, if I could see it out of the case. As I held it, I saw that there were stitches drawn on the chest. Having had heart bypass surgery 13 years earlier, I knew that although we'd never met, Deb made this piece for me. It will always remain my favorite piece of jewelry

I am disappointed that as a Canadian consumer I sure can buy Lark books, but!!!!! I cannot enter your contests/giveaways. Seems to me that since you are an international publisher it would be nice to allow all your customers to have a chance to get a free-be now and then.

I can’t believe I didn’t see this til 9/2! On my fave jewelry — hard to pick, but certainly some of the chandelier earrings I’ve built. (Tho I’m also rather partial to the engagement/wedding ring set I designed to showcase a magnificent 3.6 ct Australian Sapphire (marquise cut) i located in a wholesale gallery)

My grandmother was my favorite person. She loved beautiful jewelry and she had a lot of it. She had a huge black pearl from the south seas that looked like a witches ring. She had squash blossom necklaces from the 70′s. Topaz, aquamarine etc. One day she takes out a small gold paper box and says” Lisa, I want you to have this”. I said OK.
It was a solid gold rosa rugosa (wild beach rose) pin, with a real tiny uncultured pearl in the middle. It is an antique and it was from Edna St. Vincent Millay’s aunts…..Never saw that pin in my life before that day, and it is my most prized possession. It is the essence of victorian Maine to me, and my grandmothers love……thanks for listening to me ramble….

My favorite piece of jewelry is a ring given to me by my spouse. It is my engagement ring. It is so special because I never really cared for diamonds, they are just kind of plain. After hearing that the British sometimes gave saphires for their engagement rings we decided to start a new family tradition. We both wear saphires with small accent diamonds. I know this sounds corney but it really is my favorite.

My favorite piece…..hmmm…well the obvious would be my wedding ring, especially after we replaced my plain band with a fancy ring guard with baguettes. But recently my 10 year old and I were going through some of my and my mother’s old jewelry and I found a big, crocheted ring I had made back in the 70′s. Even now I’m thinking it was a pretty cool project.

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